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Source: Wall St. Journal; December 3, 2002

Research Shows Fetal Cells From Abortions Don't Help Parkinson's

Washington, DC -- A second study of transplanted fetal cells obtained from abortions has failed to show a therapeutic benefit in Parkinson's disease patients and produced serious side effects in some patients, the Wall Street Journal reports. The findings are "a blow" to researchers who had thought that transplants of brain tissue from aborted babies could stop the effects of the disease.

For the study, which involved 34 participants, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and University of South Florida researchers infused brain tissue from up to eight aborted babies, ranging from six to nine weeks old, into 23 patients with Parkinson's disease.

Brain scans of the participants indicated that the transplanted cells functioned "normally," but researchers were unable to "find any measurable improvement on tests of motor and other skills," according to the report.

In addition, the "most severe setback" was side effects that included uncontrolled limb movement in 13 patients. Three patients experienced such severe side effects that they required additional surgeries to control them.

The study -- the second of two federally funded studies to examine if embryonic stem cells can repair brain tissue in Parkinson's patients -- could lead to a "winding down" for future fetal-cell transplants. Anthony Lang, a Parkinson's expert at Toronto Western Hospital in Canada, said, "This is a surprising result that forces reconsideration of transplantation without a great deal more research."

The study could also have implications for embryonic stem cell research, which has recently "upstaged both politically and scientifically" research using fetal cells from abortions. Some researchers consider stem cells "more versatile" than fetal cells.

President Bush in August 2001 prohibited federal funding for any new embryonic stem cell research. Research using fetal cells from abortions, however, is covered by a separate rule established in 1993 under former President Clinton.

Fetal Cell Study a Bust
By David Brody, Washington, D.C., correspondent

SUMMARY: A federally funded medical study shows
conclusively that fetal cells taken from abortions do not
benefit Parkinson's patients. As a matter of fact, many of
them experienced serious side effects.

For years, liberal scientists had thought taking cells from
aborted fetuses would be a cure-all for adults that have
debilitating diseases. But a study from the University of
Florida shows that's not the case at all. Researchers
infused brain tissue from up to eight aborted babies into
Parkinson's patients. Not only did the treatments not
help the patients, but 13 of them suffered uncontrollable
limb movement. Three of them needed additional
surgery to fix the problem.

Richard Doerflinger, a spokesman for the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops, says it's a case of "I
told you so."

"This is what the pro-life movement was saying 10 years
ago -- that this was not so promising, that is was morally
problematic," Doerflinger said. "It looks, once again, as
though we were right. I don't imagine anyone's going to
thank us for that."

Two years ago, another federally funded study showed
the same type of results. So, the question really is: Why
doesn't this type of research end once and for all? Tom
Lothamer, executive director of Baptists for Life, has a
theory.

"It is satanic to me. That's really the bottom line,"
Lothamer said. "It doesn't make sense why they
continue to have to keep trying to go down this road
when ... they're finding negative results."

Some might hope that these negative results using
aborted fetal tissue might also give researchers pause
before plunging further into the area of stem cells
derived from human embryos. However, Doerflinger
doubts that will happen and, in fact, he envisions a far
worse scenario.

"The reaction that some people are having to this latest
study is that, 'Oh, the fetal tissue doesn't work so we
must renew our efforts to go even further down the
ethical sink by going more and more into embryonic
stem cell research,' " he said.

In addition to being unethical, Doerflinger noted such
research would be scientifically irresponsible because, in
the past, when cells from an embryo were placed into
animals, the animals got tumors.

“Under this bill, human lives will be treated as a commodity, creating classes of lesser humans to be sacrificed for the good of humanity ...” Smaller most vulnerable humans sacrificed by the older, stronger humans for the benefit of older, stronger humans. Cannibalism under the guise of enlightened social and medical policy. This is the nature terminus for the democrats' defense of the indefensible. May God have mercy on US.

That a state would be so bold in championing this exploitative frankenscience is a frightening indictment of our nation. What lies and deceit spawned the Roe decision have now led down the raod of which some warned back in 1973: '... dehumanize the most vulnerable in order to legitimize slaughtering them for convenience sake and it will not be long until they are slaughtered for medical advancement sake, heralding the horrific loss of OUR humanity.' I will repeat for the umpteenth time, "Where in the name of humanity are the animal studies to prove that this evil exploitation of individual human beings will even work, before seeking to institute such bloody exploitation of human beings?" That there has not been extensive work done with a range of higher mammals, before experimenting with individual human lives, is a glaring indictment of the science and scientists involved. Where greed directs, evil flows under the door to drown the willing servants.