Fog of misinformation surrounds stem cell research

In today’s political landscape, the truth about stem cell research is often clouded by a dense fog of misinformation. Half-truths, vague language and outright deception frequently stand in the way of facts while the media is typically woefully misinformed and contributes to the problem. This is especially the case in Michigan because of existing prolife laws. Newspapers with large circulations and big name politicians consistently claim that embryonic stem cell research is banned in Michigan even though researchers at the University of Michigan are currently performing embryonic stem cell research funded by federal tax dollars and have been doing so for three years.

To set the facts straight, in Michigan it is illegal to use unborn children in research which isn’t beneficial to them. Therefore, no human embryos can be killed in Michigan to harvest their embryonic stem cells since this kills the embryos and is obviously not beneficial to them. Human cloning, regardless of whether researchers want to bring a child to birth or if they want to create cloned human embryos for research (sometimes referred to as “therapeutic cloning”), is also banned in Michigan. However, these laws don’t prevent researchers from importing embryonic stem cell lines from other states and experimenting on those cells in Michigan.

Some politicians see the misinformation and confusion surrounding this issue as an opportunity to further deceive people. House Bill 4900, sponsored by State Representative Andy Meisner and promoted by Governor Jennifer Granholm, is a prime example of politicians trying to fool people into supporting something they normally wouldn’t support. This legislation would legalize the killing of human embryos for research and it would deceptively change the definition of human cloning in Michigan’s law to allow scientists to attempt to create cloned human embryos for research as long as those clones weren’t implanted in a womb. While the language of this legislation undermines Michigan’s ban on human cloning, proponents of this legislation claim it “strengthen(s) the ban on human cloning.” Why? Proponents of human cloning for research are usually wary of saying they want to legalize “cloning” because polls show people aren’t comfortable with legalizing cloning. Instead of saying they want to legalize cloning, they’ll say they want to legalize somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) without telling the public that SCNT is the scientific term for cloning since many people don’t know this.

But I thought researchers only wanted to use “leftover embryos?” One of the biggest problems facing researchers who hope to eventually treat people with embryonic stem cells, besides the fact that embryonic stem cells cause tumors in animals, is that if the stem cells don’t have the same genetic code as the person being treated, then there is a possibility the patient’s body would reject these cells. That’s where human cloning for research comes in since researchers believe that if they can harvest stem cells from a cloned embryo of a patient then these cells wouldn’t be rejected by the patient’s body because they would have the same genetic code. Of course, cloning creates its own set of problems like the need for a multitude of human eggs which are typically extracted in a way that has the possibility of seriously hurting and sometimes even killing women.

Another talking point from the advocates of embryonic stem cell research is that cures to diseases like Parkinson’s, diabetes and other ailments would be right around the corner if only President Bush would allow for more funding or if only researchers in Michigan could kill embryos for research. Once researchers get what they want, however, this hype and promising talk dissolves. For example, after a large media campaign promising cures to diseases, the state of California passed a proposal in 2004 which will give researchers $3 billion dollars over 10 years to experiment on embryonic stem cells and with cloning. Even though California researchers will have an almost inconceivable amount of funding at their fingertips, the group in charge of the funding recently revealed that at the end of the 10 years, they hope there will be some research with embryonic stem cells in “early stage clinical trials.” In other words, they are hopeful that after 10 years and $3 billion dollars, embryonic stem cell research would be at a place which is still behind where adult stem cell research is today.

Don’t let deceptive politicians and a misinformed media get you lost in a fog of misinformation. For more information to help you clear through the fog on stem cell research and to stay up to date on the latest news and commentaries regarding stem cell research, please visit www.stemcellresearchcures.com.

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