Letters

Stem cell therapy

Brian Harris

Contents - Dec 2005 - Buy a copy now Editorial: Christmas: time for Christians to stand up! - Michael Gilchrist Synod on the Eucharist sets agenda for Benedict's pontificate - Michael Gilchrist News: The Church Around the World PRAYER: Melbourne initiative: a spiritual approach can defeat drug addiction - Anh Nguyen Episcopacy: Archbishop Chaput of Denver: America's plain-speaking Pope's man - Peter J. Boyer Formation: St John Vianney's blueprint for the priesthood back in favour - Fr John Cihak The Eucharist: gift of an interventionist God - Chris Hilder Cinema: New movie's balanced presentation of exorcism: The Exorcism of Emily Rose - Shannon Donahoo (reviewer) Letters: Medical research - Maureen Federico Letters: Enneagram - Br Con Moloney CFC Letters: Vatican II myths - Peter D. Howard Letters: Stem cell therapy - Brian Harris Letters: Evangelisation - Michael Dunlea Letters: Church architecture - Barry Ireland Letters: Priestly celibacy - Philip Holberton Letters: Catholic journal Letters: EWTN tapes - Daphne Thorose Books: The Cube and the Cathedral, by George Weigel - John Ballantyne (reviewer) Books: Good News About Sex And Marriage, by Christopher West - Kerrie Allen Books: In Memory of Me / Come to Me, My Children, by Christine McCarthy - Michael Gilchrist (reviewer) Books: Christmas reading from AD Books Reflection: Journey of the Magi and the search for truth - Cardinal George Pell

Morally speaking, to extract stem cells from embryonic human life which subsequently dies is gravely wrong, regardless of the intended benefits.

In contrast, adult stem cell therapies have had many successes in treating over 60 different conditions, e.g., breast cancer, leukaemia, Krohn's disease and even spinal cord injury.

As distinct from the use of embryonic stem cells, there are no moral problems with adult stem cells, as they can be obtained from the patient's own body. This also avoids the problem of tissue rejection.

Finally, it is important to lobby the Federal Government that any research funding be channelled into adult stem cell research, which has been shown to be successful.

BRIAN HARRIS
Hadfield, Vic

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 18 No 11 (December 2005 - January 2006), p. 13