Boost for Life-Affirming Science
The National Institutes of Health was right Wednesday to issue guidelines that for the first time allow scientists to conduct federally funded research on cells taken from human embryos. Funding of so-called stem cell research is a good idea for obvious scientific reasons, as well as some subtle ethical ones.
Stem cells have the remarkable ability to grow into nearly every component of the body. By studying how these “pluripotent” cells develop into specialized cells for brains, bones, muscles and other organs, scientists can learn how to cultivate new brain tissue for Parkinson’s patients, new pancreas cells for diabetics, nerve cells for spinal injury victims and cures for many other diseases.
The NIH has a rocky road ahead to implement the guidelines. On Wednesday abortion foes led by Rep. Jay Dickey (R-Ark.) threatened to stop the research. Dickey argues that stem cell research is immoral because the cells are acquired by destroying human embryos.
Scientists dispute Dickey’s interpretation, pointing out that the retrieval is conducted on a week-old microscopic ball of identical cells.
However, even for those who believe that life begins at conception, the NIH’s tightly monitored, strictly regulated plan should be preferable to the alternative--letting stem cell research be driven solely by commercial interests outside public purview and not subject to ethical oversight.
In contrast to the relatively permissive embryo research rules released last week in Britain, the new NIH rules carefully guard against abuse by requiring that federal research be done only on cells taken from frozen embryos already destined to be discarded, by outlawing payments to embryo donors and by requiring that all research applications pass a panel of scientists and ethicists before being sent to an NIH scientific review committee.
The NIH should not flinch from implementing its guidelines because of knee-jerk opposition. As scientists, not to mention actors like Christopher Reeve (paralyzed) and Michael J. Fox (Parkinson’s disease), have been forcefully telling legislators in recent lobbying efforts, stem cell research is life-affirming science despite all the controversy surrounding it.
