A stem cell is a type of cell found in all human beings. They're found in animals as well. Stem cells have a couple of important characteristics: they can reproduce themselves over a long period of time without changing, and they have the capability to produce other types of specialized cells, such as brain cells, muscle cells, and lung cells, to name but a few.

There are a number of different places from which stem cells can be obtained:

• Bone marrow
• Fat cells
• Umbilical cord blood
• Adult blood
• Olfactory nerve endings
• Skin cells
• Human embryo

Ethical options

Obtaining stem cells from a human embryo is highly unethical. A human embryo is an innocent human being in his first stage of life. There is only one way to obtain stem cells from a developing human embryo, and it involves killing the embryo. It is always and in every case morally wrong to intentionally kill an innocent human being at any point in life, including the embryonic stage of development.

Obtaining stem cells from fatty tissue, or bone marrow, or the umbilical cord after the birth of a baby may be done ethically. No harm comes to the person whose stem cells are obtained for research in such fashion. Furthermore, according to current research findings, adult stem cells show great promise for treating a variety of conditions and diseases. The same cannot be said for human embryonic stem cells.

What 'experts'?

There are those in the government and scientific community who say more money must be spent on human embryonic stem cell research because it holds the most promise for helping people with conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

However, adult stem cells have been used successfully for decades. Bone marrow transplants, for instance, help people every day. There are more than 100 conditions including leukemia, immune system and other blood disorders, cancers and autoimmune diseases that respond well when adult stem cell therapy is used.

False promises

Research involving human embryonic stem cells has thus far been unsuccessful in the quest to develop therapeutic treatments. It is speculated that those who support human embryonic stem cell research are clamoring loudly for taxpayer dollars because private companies know human embryonic stem cell research is neither worth their time nor their money.

The popular plea is that human embryonic stem cell research will cure Alzheimer's disease. However, Alzheimer's researcher Ned Potter said this research would not help the Alzheimer's patient at all. It is nerve cells that cause the problem because they lose their ability to connect with each other. These embryonic stem cells are not the ones needed.

Far too many reports of possible treatment for diseases are false. Media accounts simply parrot fake science. It is misleading, and could lead to the deaths of millions of innocent human beings if this type of research is allowed to move forward.

'Leftover' myths

According to a recent RAND Corporation survey of in vitro fertilization clinics in the United States, the vast majority of the 400,000 human embryos currently being stored - 88.2% of them - are wanted by their parents so that larger families can be part of their future.

But even if this were not the case, there is no justification for killing one innocent human being, regardless of where he lives - including a freezer in a clinic. Killing is still killing.

A human being begins at the beginning: fertilization. There is no greater pivotal moment in an individual's growth and development than when 23 chromosomes from the father join with 23 chromosomes from the mother to form a unique, new biologic entity - a human being who never existed prior to that moment.

Avoid deceptions

Those who attempt to deceive the public by using words like clump of cells, blob of tissue, pre-embryo, and so forth, are either ignorant of the basic scientific facts or think that people like us are gullible enough to believe almost anything.

Arm yourself with the truth, to defend millions of tiny embryonic human beings who cannot speak for themselves. Spread the word that society must reject human embryonic stem cell research, while encouraging moral, ethical - and thus far, successful - work with other forms of stem cells.

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