LIFE DIGEST: Induced stem cells as potent as embryonic ones, studies show
- Jul 28, 2009
Researchers in China have shown induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are as powerful as embryonic stem cells while avoiding their ethical problems.
Scientists in Shanghai and Beijing revealed July 23 they had created live mice from the skin cells of adult animals after reprogramming the cells into an embryonic-like state, The Washington Post reported. Their research produced at least 100 first-generation mice and hundreds of second-generation ones that were almost genetic matches for mice from which the iPS cells were extracted, according to The Post.
Also in this edition: Nurse sues hospital for coercion in abortion, Poll: Majority believes abortion harms women and Shanghai encourages more children.
“This clearly says for the first time that iPS cells pass the most stringent test,” said Konrad Hochedlinger, a Harvard University stem cell researcher, the newspaper reported.
The research is good news, and potentially bad news, a Southern Baptist bioethicist said.
“These experiments continue to demonstrate that the destruction of embryos is unnecessary to retrieve stem cells,” said C. Ben Mitchell, Graves professor of moral philosophy at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. “So, in that sense, this is good news. And we can make all the mice we want using the procedure.
“The problems arise when these findings are applied to human research,” said Mitchell, who is a consultant for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. “It would be unethical to subject human embryos to potentially deadly experiments just to see if they work. The only ethical justification for experimenting on an unborn human being is for that person’s own good.”
Many scientists have promoted embryonic stem cell research (ESCR), because stem cells from embryos are pluripotent, meaning they can transform into any cell or tissue in the body. ESCR, however, not only has failed to provide any therapies for human subjects, but it has been plagued by the development of tumors in lab animals.
With the publication of these studies in the journals Nature and Cell Stem Cell, iPS cells have been confirmed also to be pluripotent. Unlike ESCR, deriving iPS cells does not harm the donor.
Nurse sues hospital for coercion in abortion
A pro-life nurse has sued Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, saying hospital officials coerced her to participate in a late-term abortion.
The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed a lawsuit July 20 in federal court on behalf of Catherine Cenzon-DeCarlo, who alleged she was coerced to assist in the abortion of a 22-week-old unborn child in May. A Roman Catholic, Cenzon-DeCarlo said the hospital has been aware of her religious objections to abortion since 2004.
Hospital officials told the senior nurse she would be charged with “insubordination and patient abandonment” and would face discipline, possibly including the loss of her job and/or nursing license, according to ADF.
Cenzon-DeCarlo said her immediate help was not required, because the woman who underwent the abortion was not in crisis.
“Requiring a devout, Catholic nurse to participate in a late-term abortion in order to remain employed is illegal, unethical and violates her rights of conscience,” ADF legal counsel Matt Bowman said in a written release. “Federal law requires that employers who receive funding from tax dollars must not compel employees to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs, but this nurse’s objections fell on deaf ears.
“Chasing away workers from the health care field is disastrous health care policy.”
Poll: Majority believes abortion harms women
By a two-to-one margin, Americans believe abortion harms a woman more than it helps a woman, according to a recent public opinion poll.
The survey showed 53 percent of the more than 1,200 people surveyed by telephone think in the long term “abortion does more harm than good to a woman.” Meanwhile, 26 percent believe “having an abortion improves a woman’s life.” Three percent think it does not make a difference, and 18 percent are unsure of an abortion’s effect.
The results demonstrate women are sharing the pain from their abortions with others, according to the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, a network of individuals hurt by abortion.
“Our message is resonating,” said Janet Morana, co-founder of Silent No More, in a written release. “The abortion industry and its apologists can make all the false claims they want about abortion having no impact on women’s physical and emotional health. Real life is telling a far different story.”
The survey, conducted in late May by a partnership between the Knights of Columbus and the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, also showed:
- 49 percent of Americans describe themselves as pro-life, an increase of 5 percent since October, and 48 percent identify themselves as pro-choice, a drop of 2 percent in that time span.
- 79 percent believe health-care professionals should not be required to perform abortion, a sentiment shared by 64 percent of those who call themselves strongly pro-choice.
The Knights of Columbus is a Roman Catholic men’s organization that is pro-life. Marist Institute is affiliated with Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Shanghai encourages more children
Some Chinese officials are trying to encourage more babies after three decades of a coercive, one-child, population-control policy.
The Population and Family Planning Commission of Shanghai, the country’s financial capital, is urging eligible parents to have a second child, The Times of London reported July 25.
“We advocate eligible couples to have two kids because it can help to reduce the proportion of the [aging] people and alleviate a workforce shortage in the future,” said Xie Linli, director of the Shanghai family planning panel, according to The Times.
More than three million people, or 21.6 percent of Shanghai’s population, are older than 60 years of age, The Times reported. By 2020, the percentage is expected to increase to 34 percent.
Officials in many parts of China have practiced a forced family planning program since 1979 in an attempt to curb the birth rate in the world’s most populous country. A law codifying the policy throughout China went into effect in 2002, although the national government forbids physical coercion for abortion or sterilization.
The policy limits couples in urban areas to one child and those in rural areas to two, if the first is a girl. Parents in cities may have second babies if the husband and wife are both only children.
Penalties for violations of the policy have included fines, arrests and the destruction of homes, as well as forced abortion and sterilization. Infanticide, especially of females, also has been reported.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission works to protect the sanctity of human life. If you would like to learn more about this issue, additional resources are available here. If your church is interested in purchasing bulletin inserts or other materials on the sanctity of human life, please visit our online bookstore and erlc.com.
Further Learning
Learn more about: Life, Abortion, Birth Control, Stem-Cell Research, Citizenship, Religious Liberty, Science, Bioethics