 Part of the first 100-hour agenda of the new Democrat-controlled Congress has been the passage of a new bill that would permit our federal tax dollars to fund embryonic stem cell research. The bill has passed the House of Representatives and will now go to the Senate for a vote where many expect that it may also pass.
Ironically, at the same time the new House of Representatives was successfully voting to destroy human embryos for research purposes, it was reported in the research journal Nature Biotechnology that stem cells have now been found in umbilical cords and in the amniotic fluid that surrounds embryos in the womb. These amniotic and cord blood stem cells appear to have many of the same features as embryonic stem cells. They can develop into multiple kinds of cells, including brain, bone, and muscle cells, with the potential to relieve much human suffering. Most importantly for pro-life Christians and others, however, is the fact that research using amniotic stem cells does not require the killing of embryos in order to gather the stem cells for scientific experimentation. Also, like adult stem cells, which have already shown great promise in treating and curing diseases, the amniotic stem cells remain stable for long periods of time and they do not produce adverse results such as the formation of cancerous tumors, which are common with embryonic stem cells. Despite the fact that embryonic stem cells have shown no potential for the cures supported by adult stem cells and, in fact, produce negative results, those political factions that would like to establish scientific and "compassionate" reasons for abortion continue to support the killing of human life for embryonic stem cell research. Even the lead scientist working on the development of amniotic stem cells has told Congress that this discovery should not inhibit federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. President Bush has promised to veto the embryonic stem cell bill again, as he has in the past. This is the time for Christians who support life to contact their Senators, House members, and the President to encourage these politicians not to support stem cell research with our federal dollars that violates human life and dignity, particularly since so many more promising research options exist. Please pray that America will continue to be a nation that honors and respects human life at all stages of development and let your representatives know how you feel about this issue.
|
