Stem Cell Stupidity

Congress has sent another bill (the Stem Cell Enhancement Act of 2007) to the White House which would widen the the ability of government to fund research using pluripotent stem cells, which are derived from human embryos. President Bush has carried out his announced intent and vetoed the bill, despite clear majorities favoring it not just in both houses of Congress but amongst the electorate as well.

A White House press secretary claimed the decision was about policy, not politics. A White House press secretary lied through his teeth, and probably smiled while he was going it. Policy implies some well thought out, overarching plan, but there is nothing well thought out about this decision. Unless stupidity is the administration policy ... which, come to think of it, explains a great deal about the past six years.

While announcing the veto, the President pushed increased funding for research into other means to develop pluripotent stem cells. In doing so, he was referring to a recently announced breakthrough by a team in Japan (and confirmed by other researchers) showing an easy means for creating pluripotent stem cells from skin cells. This is a huge, huge discovery, and could eventually be the perfect solution to all the moral issues opponents of stem cell research cite (since the harvesting of these cells destroys the embryo in the process). But ...

... the research so far has only been shown to work with mice. Given our chief executive's demonstrated lack of scientific acuity, he likely isn't aware a simple fact which, I am sure, immediately leaps out to you, dear reader -- namely, mice are not the same as humans.

We most definitely should be funding research in this area, but in addition to funding current stem cell research, not in place of it. Even if the skin cell reprogramming research eventually pans out (and I sincerely hope it does), we are talking about years of research and development to reach the point where such cells can be developed and used for human research. The approach may not work with human cells, or it may work, but the resulting cells aren't pluripotent, just to name two things which might derail the process. Meanwhile, our government won't be making any significant further progress down the trail we already know works for generating pluripotent cells.

Research could be set back years.

Stock market investors are told not to put all your money into a single company. Instead, you are encouraged to diversify, to invest in a wide range of different companies, and across different industries. Science research works (or should work) similarly -- you don't bet everything on one approach. Instead, you put some resources into a variety of approaches, giving yourself more opportunities to hit it big, and to protect yourself from a single catasrtophic failure.

Somehow, this simple concept, one which most any sixth-grader is capable of understanding, seems to be beyond the grasp of our current head of state.

President Bush has repeatedly stated his objection to such research in moral terms, and this argument would care significant weight with me (I would understand it, even though I would disagree with it), if it weren't for the simple fact the embryos used for any additional research would be destroyed regardless!

Here is the relevant text from the bill (pay special attention to item #2):

(b) Ethical Requirements.—

“Human embryonic stem cells shall be eligible for use in any research conducted or supported by the Secretary if the cells meet each of the following:

“(1)

“The stem cells were derived from human embryos that have been donated from in vitro fertilization clinics, were created for the purposes of fertility treatment, and were in excess of the clinical need of the individuals seeking such treatment.

“(2)

“Prior to the consideration of embryo donation and through consultation with the individuals seeking fertility treatment, it was determined that the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded.

“(3)

“The individuals seeking fertility treatment donated the embryos with written informed consent and without receiving any financial or other inducements to make the donations.

The bill essentially says "lets take some embryos which are going to be destroyed anyhow, run through the incinerator, and instead of wasting them like that lets put them to some use, so someone else might be helped". Somehow, the President feels this violates his morals ... yet the President is wrong, even on moral grounds.

The President's veto is not going to save a single embryo. They are going to be destroyed, not saved. Not single additional child will be born, who other wise would not have been, as a result
of his refusal to sign the bill. At the absolute best, his position will be morally neutral -- no additional harm or benefit will have derived from it.

However, if a single person suffers a single extra day because research which might otherwise have helped him was delayed by this veto, the President will have caused irreparable harm. In the worst case, that harm might include untold number of deaths. Where is the morality in that?

To most of the nation, taking something which is otherwise going be destroyed and putting it to some use, particularly a use which might, ultimately, be of incalculable benefit, would simply be a no-brainer decision. Of course you would do it.

Unfortunately, our current President has no brains.