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the Stem Cell Page time and ignorance are the enemies |
Right-to-lifers should support stem cell work |
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By THOMAS F. EAGLETON
Editor’s note: Thomas Eagleton was elected to three terms as U.S. Senator from Missouri, serving from 1969 to 1987. He is currently is a partner at the Thompson Coburn law firm in St. Louis. Eagleton has a long and distinguished record as a public servant. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he graduated from Amherst College and went on to Harvard Law. He was Circuit Attorney for the City of St. Louis (1957-1960), Attorney General of Missouri (1961-1964), Lieutenant Governor of Missouri (1965-1968), and Professor of Public Affairs at Washington University in St. Louis (1987-1999).
With news about stem cell research making its way into newspapers nearly every day, Missourians should agree on at least one thing: All of us Democrats and Republicans, men and women, Protestants, Catholics and Jews should have equal access to the same stem cell research and therapies that our fellow Americans enjoy. The Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative is designed to ensure just that.
I am a Pope John XXIII and Archbishop John May Catholic who voted pro-life while representing Missourians in the U.S. Senate. I support this initiative because I believe it would be wrong to turn our backs on cures to some of the most terrible diseases and injuries that afflict humans. I believe those who truly respect the sanctity of human life should encourage and support researchers and medical institutions in their efforts to advance responsible science and develop cures and therapies.
In his book "Square Peg Confessions of a Citizen’s Senator," Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) wrote, "As a right-to-life Senator, I believe that a critical part of a pro-life, pro-family philosophy is helping the living. ...The purpose of (stem cell) research is to save life, not terminate it."
I second my former colleague’s statement. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist thinks the same. Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt thinks the same. Sen. Jim Talent floated a proposal that satisfied neither side.
The overwhelming majority of medical experts and patient groups agree all types of stem cell research should be pursued in the effort to find lifesaving cures. Early, or embryonic, stem cells are particularly promising because they have the potential to turn into and regenerate any type of cell or tissue in the human body. As a result, cells offer promise to provide cures for diseases and injuries that cannot be treated successfully, including diabetes, Parkinson’s, MS, cancer, heart disease, ALS, sickle cell disease and spinal cord injury.
Missouri is my home, and it is the home of my family. Disease, illness or injury that could be addressed with stem cells affects nearly everyone in this state.
We all have a stake and an interest in seeing to it that stem cell research and cures are permitted at St. Louis’ world-acclaimed Washington University, which has been a leader in medical research for decades. Across the state, The Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, only a few years in existence, is already one of the most innovative and well-endowed biomedical research organizations in the world. Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia have made notable advances in techniques with stem cells. All of these institutions operate under the highest ethical and legal standards. These treasures should be encouraged, not weakened.
Early stem cell research is the new frontier in medicine. If Missouri is going to remain at the forefront of medical science, we must continue to have access to the most promising areas of research and any medical treatments that result. Passing the Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative is the only way to ensure our state will keep taking measured steps forward.
St. Thomas Aquinas, the premier teacher in the Roman Catholic tradition, did not think the early fetus was a person - "ensouled," in his language. St. Thomas believed the early life in the womb received a spiritual soul - and became a baby - only after three to four months. Thus, embryonic cells in a lab dish or frozen away are certainly not "ensouled."
When the right to life of the fertilized egg is invoked in this debate, a counter right must also be recognized, and that is the right to health of people who suffer from such diseases as mentioned above.
There are only three ways to deal with surplus fertility clinic embryos:
- The couple authorizes their destruction.
- They are frozen and, after time, have so deteriorated that they are unusable for either research or for trying to initiate a pregnancy.
- The couple can donate them for medical health research.
Isn’t medical health research clearly preferable?
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I Support Embryonic Stem Cell Research |
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Thomas Eagleton Retired U.S. Senator From Missouri |
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