The problem with stem cell research

Stem cells are the primal cells from which all other cells grow. Different organs in our body are made up of different kinds of cells. So a kidney is made up of kidney cells, a heart of heart cells, and so on. A stem cell has the potential to grow into many different types of cells. This process of maturation is known as differentiation, and results in what scientists call a somatic cell: that is, a cell that has either wholly or partly differentiated into a heart or kidney cell, for example.

Stem cells can be multipotent (i.e. they can differentiate into many different kinds of cell) or they can be totipotent (i.e. they can differentiate into any kind of cell). They are found not only in the embryo but in the umbilical cord at birth and also in many other parts of the body.

Stem cells from sources other than embryos are usually referred to as adult stem cells (as distinct from embryo stem cells). Scientists are very excited about stem cells as they appear to be part of the body's natural repair mechanism and could be used in ground-breaking treatments. Stem cells can be injected into the damaged body part where they proliferate and repair.

Increased access to advanced medical research is one of the blessings of the modern age.

Our objection is not to the use of stem cells as such. The great ethical concern is the source of the stem cells. It is morally wrong to obtain these stem cells from the human embryo simply because a human embryo is a human being with human rights, including the right to life.

Ends never justify the means. The treatment of diseases that are currently untreatable would be a great medical advance, but we must not pursue this goal at any price. The use of human life as some form of disposable commodity will result in the overall degradation of human dignity as pressure grows to create the "perfect human being". This attitude will result in more intolerance of the weaker or genetically inadequate person.

The argument is often made that we may as well use some of the thousands of surplus embryos left over after IVF. Human beings should never be manufactured and then discarded. The wastage of thousands of embryos is inherent to IVF.

By endorsing the use of excess embryos, we are encouraging the demand end of the supply and demand business cycle, prompting the creation of more human lives to meet the demand of scientists in their research. It is for this reason that it is dangerous to create and freeze extra embryos and why we must have laws to protect the human embryo from conception.

The arguments in favour of embryonic stem cell research are seductive - but we should remember the following. Embryos are not the only source of stem cells available. They are not even the best source. Significant progress is being made with adult stem cells. Many adult stem cells are totipotent, and therefore as useful, in scientific terms, as embryonic stem cells.

There are serious technical problems with extracting embryonic stem cells. Not least of these is that scientists are still not sure why stem cells differentiate, so it is extremely hard for them to simulate this and turn a stem cell into a somatic cell. There are huge ethical and medical questions surrounding the sourcing of embryos for research and treatment. These questions simply do not arise when we are dealing with adult stem cells.

Despite all the money that is being pumped into research, there still currently are no working treatments for humans based on stem cells derived from human embryos. By contrast, there are over 60 such treatments available derived from umbilical or other adult stem cells and a number of large scale clinical trials are in progress.

Large amounts of private investor money is being pumped into the research of adult or umbilical stem cells as this option is increasingly being recognised as being the avenue that is most promising, offering the best possibility of profits in the future.

A great deal of embryo research has eugenic implications, in that it aims, explicitly or implicitly, at eliminating what is perceived to be weakness and disability. A first glance, this may be seen as a commendable goal but what it truly amounts to is a search and destroy mission to eliminate the weaker of our race, or what is sometimes called, genetic disability.

The destruction of embryos with genetic disorders does not cure diseases but punishes the carrier. Eugenic embryo selection is not a cure for disability; any more than killing cancer patients is a cure for cancer.

Mr Vincenti is CEO and spokesman of Gift of Life Foundation.