Nearly ten years ago, the ProLife Alliance opposed new legislation to allow even greater experimention on human embryos, and the creation of embryos purely for use in research. The ProLife Alliance’s position is that it is always wrong to destroy human life at any stage of development, regardless of any good which might be achieved, as human lives should not be used as a means to an end.
In addition, the ProLife Alliance called for research to be conducted using ethical sources of adult stem cells from blood, bone marrow, skin, hair and other tissue not involving the destruction of human embryos.
We pointed out at the time that umblical cord blood is thrown away in hospitals every day and could be used in research. We also warned that embryonic stem cells are far behind adult stem cells, which have been used in blood marrow transplants for decades. We warned that basic preliminary research had not been done with embryo research, and that it appeared likely that embryonic stem cells would never be able to be used in transplants as they had a tendency to grow out of control. We warned that if embryo research was allowed it would channel funds away from more promising and completely ethical adult stem cell research and far from helping, it would delay cures for patients.
At the time, much of the media jumped on the embryo research bandwagon, reporting that embryo research would lead to cures for every known condition, despite the clinical evidence showing that adult stem cell research was in fact ahead of embryonic stem cell research. The media often failed to report that adult stem cells existed and the prolife position was often erroneously reported as being against medical research, rather than in favour of ethical stem cell alternatives.
Fast forward ten years, and one of the UK’s leading stem cell researchers is reported in the Times Education Supplement to have attacked the UK’s bias for embryo research, which has led to umbilical cord stem cell research being neglected and underfunded. Professor Colin McGuckin, professor of regenerative medicine at Newcastle University and an expert in adult stem cells, has left Newcastle and moved to France to open the world’s biggest institute devoted to cord blood and adult stem-cell research at the University of Lyon.
He has criticised the hype from both the media and the Government around embryo research which has led to Newcastle University prioritising embryonic stem-cell research above work with adult stem cells, despite the more immediate clinical benefits offered by his work. He said: “You would barely know that adult stem cells exist at Newcastle. (France) is very supportive of adult stem cells because they know that these are the things that are in the clinic right now and will be more likely in the clinic. A vast amount of money in the UK from the Government has gone into embryonic stem-cell research with not one patient having been treated, to the detriment of (research into) adult stem cells, which has been severely underfunded.”
Professor Anthony Hollander, professor of rheumatology and tissue engineering at the University of Bristol is also quoted in the same article saying: “We desperately need more funding for adult stem-cell research because with these cells we really can make a difference to patients’ lives, and we can do it now, not in ten years’ time as is promised for embryonic stem cells.”
In the last ten years not one patient has been treated with embryonic stem cells, but in this time, many patients have been treated with adult stem cells. Scientists have regenerated heart tissue using bone marrow stem cells, repaired spinal cord using nasal stem cells, used blood stem stem cell transplantation to treat diabetes patients, and to repair damaged retinas, restoring sight to the blind. Isn’t it time that the Government stopped embryo research and channelled all funding into ethical umbilical cord and other adult stem cell research? And isn’t it time for the media to acknowledge that the prolife position is not just ethically but also scientifically sound?
