Canada made a bold step on Oct. 28th when the House of Commons passed Bill C-13. If the Senate passes the bill as well, it will allow stem cell research but prohibit human cloning in this country. The bill is a step in the right direction, putting us light years ahead of the U.S., but it does not go far enough.
Stem cells have been heralded as everything from “remarkable” to “miraculous.” They are essentially blank cells that can develop into any kind of tissue; skin, blood, liver, what have you. Scientists surmise they could be used to replace nervous tissue in people with spinal cord injuries, repair the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, and treat other disorders for which we have no cure-Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and many others.
Although stem cells are found in adult tissue (primarily in bone marrow), the vast majority of stem cells being used in research come from embryos. The cells are removed from an embryo, a ball of about 100 cells, and the embryo dies. Most embryos used in stem cell research come from in vitro fertilization procedures, where several are created in lab in the hopes that one will be successfully implanted in the mother. Scientists have been conducting studies on embryos “left over” from the process.
There is another source of human embryos-cloning. In human therapeutic cloning, the DNA of a fertilized egg is removed, and a donor’s DNA is inserted. The cell is then allowed to divide into a ball of 100 cells, and the stem cells are removed. This process carries the highest hopes for modern medicine. Tissue could be grown for the donor, say nerve cells for somebody with a spinal cord injury, and transplanted into the patient without any fear of the body rejecting the transplant because it contains their own DNA. Although this source of stem cells has the greatest potential for medical miracles, many fear that researchers may end up hundreds of thousands of embryos, arguably human lives, simply so they may be destroyed.
Bill C-13 allows stem cell research on embryos “left over” from in vitro, but not on cloned embryos, precisely because of this fear. But is it morally consistent to prohibit this option?
Abortion is legal. In vitro fertilization is legal, meaning that we already allow excess embryos to be created that will have to be destroyed. What is it that makes the creation of embryos for stem cells so different? On a physical level, there isn’t any difference between what happens to an embryo that is aborted, fails to make the cut for an in vitro fertilization, or one created just for stem cell research. Nobody could argue that the moral questions involved are simple, but on a legislative level we should be consistent about what we deem acceptable.
Bill C-13 would create an Assisted Human Reproduction Agency of Canada to regulate and monitor research at fertility clinics. A similar body in the U.K. currently holds the right to grant labs licenses to perform human therapeutic cloning. This hopefully will ensure that stem cells are used wisely. Why isn’t Canada making the same move?
Many scientists in fact predict that stem cell research may itself bring the solution to the cloning problem, and we will find a feasible way to extract enough stem cells from alternative sources.
There are 100,000 people in Canada with Parkinson’s disease. Every day three more people are diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Almost half of all people over the age of 85 have Alzheimer’s. What is the point of protecting the lives of the unborn if you don’t bother making life worth living for people who are already around?
If you firmly believe that life begins at conception, then the question of stem cell research is probably not a difficult one. Nancy Reagan was once quoted as saying “I believe if you have an abortion you are committing murder.”
Having watched her husband wither away with Alzheimer’s for the past decade, Nancy has become an outspoken proponent of stem cell research. It’s a lot easier to advocate for the rights of the unborn when your husband can still recognize your face.
