Paralyzed farmer puts his faith in stem cell transplant

(Following is excerpted from near the end of a lengthy human interest story, I apologize for all the editing to capture the key points)

...Dr. Lima's procedure, called olfactory mucosa transplantation, differs dramatically from what generates the most heat in the debate, embryonic stem cell research. Lima's process uses adult stem cells taken from the patients themselves.(snip)

...I had a senator up there screaming at me," she says(snip)...."I was foolish enough to stand in front of the senators and say using a person's own stem cells is safer," she says.

Peduzzi-Nelson testified "the most profitable, not the best, treatment for people is being promoted. The main reason for the current emphasis on human embryonic stem cells and cloning is money."

"It is a superior business plan to have a mass-produced product such as embryonic-fetal-cloned stem cells that can be sold nationwide and have patentable intellectual property," she said in 2004. " (snip)... Adult stem cell therapies are much better for people with diseases or injuries but generate an inferior business plan."

At the hearing, Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., insisted on knowing if Peduzzi-Nelson belonged to any pro-life organizations and threatened the doctor with contempt if she failed to answer. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., added "millions of Americans" suffering "a host of devastating diseases" deserve better.(snip)

...Beyond ethical issues, both physicians say embryonic stem cells present problems.

"Nature didn't make embryonic stem cell to repair organs. That's what adult stem cells are for," Lima says. "Embryonic stem cells will be rejected or go out of control because they were made to proliferate."

His conclusion: "In my opinion, they are not going to work, and in fact, a lot of people are going to suffer."

The main reason for the current emphasis on human embryonic stem cells and cloning is money."

Wrong.

The main reason for the current emphasis on human embryonic stem cells is because the Pro-Abortion Democrats cynically use this research as a trap for Pro-Life politicians.

The Pro-Abortion forces were tired of getting their butts kicked over Partial Birth Abortion, and they decided that they would much rather argue over the opposite end of the gestational spectrum. So they 'ginned up all this nonsense over embryonic stem cell research, knowing full well that principled Pro-Lifers would have to oppose them, and they would demand that Republicans running for office also oppose them. These Republicans could then be villified in campaign advertisements as being cruel and unconcerned about the sick.

That is why there is so much emphasis on an area of research that is not at all promising, while more promising research is completely ignored. Republican politicans do not oppose adult stem cell research, for example, so there is no political advantage to be gained there.

That is why the Missori initiative would enshrine in the Missouri Constitution the right to clone human beings. In order to guarantee strong opposition from Pro-Lifers, the drafters of this initiative inserted this outrageous provision. And the strategy has worked. Claire McCaskill is using Talent's opposition to this measure as a blunt instrument to beat him over the head in the Senate race. If the measure has simply pertained to embryonic stem cell research, Talent might have let it go. But nobody, except a cynical Democrat, could sit still for a guaranteed right to clone human beings.

The Michael J. Fox TV advertisements are the pay-off for this whole debate. The Democrats hope that they can exploit this issue to gain in the polls. Any other consideration, including the potential for cures, is illusory. The Democrat emphasis on embryonic stem cell research was a cynical manipulation from the very beginning, and actually helping the sick simply never entered into the question.

You are right about the liberal democrats cynically using this as an election issue.

I think when I am discussing this topic with my many Lib coworkers however, I will quote Dr. Peduzzi-Nelson saying, "It is a superior business plan to have a mass-produced product such as embryonic-fetal-cloned stem cells that can be sold nationwide and have patentable intellectual property," then change the discussion to how Michael Fox is being deceived and cynically used by greedy biotech companies that are interested in profits not patients.

Then sit back and watch them decompensate.

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