In the wake of the British Parliament's remarkable irresponsibility in passing a Human Fertility and Embryology bill that not only failed to restrict abortion but actually made legal the freakish experimentation on human/animal hybrids, England's Catholic Church is trying to help society understand that science and morality need not be strangers.In particular, with a grant of £25,000 to Novussanguis, an international research consortium using cord blood and adult stem cells for therapeutic aims, the Church is bringing some much-needed attention to the fantastic successes that life-affirming scientific research is achieving.
By this action, modest though it may be, the Church stands in dramatic contrast to the immoral and inhumane actions of the British government.
Novussanguis is a new international research consortium investigating cord blood and adult stem cells for therapeutic aims. It was created by Professor Colin McGuckin and the research group on cord blood at Newcastle University and the Fondation Jérôme Lejeune in Paris. Unlike embryonic stem cells, cord blood and adult stem cells continue to produce medical cures because of their high differentiation and expansion potential. Indeed, over 80 diseases are already being effectively treated with cord blood stem cells, mostly linked to the blood system or the immune system. However, victims of other diseases affecting the bone marrow, nervous system, heart or metabolism such as juvenile diabetes, are also being helped through adult stem cell procedures.
Adult stem cells can be harvested from several human tissues including the brain, bone marrow, skin, peripheral blood, liver, eyes, pancreas and cord blood.
"We support scientific research that seeks to cure disease and suffering" states the letter announcing the gift and signed by Sean Cardinal Brady (Archbishop of Armagh, president of the Bishops, Conference of Ireland), Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O,Connor (Archbishop of Westminster, president of the Bishops, Conference of England & Wales, shown in photo above), and Keith Patrick Cardinal O,Brien (Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, president of the Bishops, Conference of Scotland).
"The HFE Bill has focused on embryonic stem cell research. In fact, much greater progress has already been made towards clinical therapies using adult stem cells. Other emerging techniques hold potential for good, without creating and destroying human embryos. We are making this donation as a sign of the Church's commitment to science and human good.
"We also welcome the positive engagement with scientists and ethicists last Friday, which identified the need for continued dialogue. This meeting re-enforced the fact that there are profound questions both about the scientific efficacy of proposed techniques and their ethical justification.
"In particular, we would ask: What ethical considerations should limit bio-medical research? Should the government be taking the dramatic step of legalising research on cybrid or hybrid embryos just as new techniques are emerging which would make the use of such hybrids in research redundant? To what extent is the UK in danger of neglecting more promising therapies by focusing too much on embryonic stem cell research?
"Not nearly enough time has been given to discussing these issues and these questions require answers before and not after legislation."
