Empty Hope Of Stem Cell Science

Great news! Physicians in Toronto have discovered a cure for diabetes in mice.

Thinking outside the box, Dr. Hans Michael Dosch and Dr. Michael Dalter injected the active ingredient in hot chili peppers, capsaicin, into the pancreatic sensory nerves in mice that had an equivalent of Type 1 diabetes. To their shock, the mice began producing insulin immediately.

This amazing discovery was made by doctors at the Hospital for Sick Children who had long concluded that a similarity exists between diabetes and multiple sclerosis, a disease of the central nervous system.

The best thing about the discovery is that no embryos were dissected to achieve it. To my knowledge, no known cures have been attributed to embryonic stem cell research.

The doctors' work is now being published in medical journals and, Dr. Salter said, "it will no doubt cause a great deal of consternation." I'll say. All those Dr. Frankenstein wannabes who can't wait to get their hands on government-funded embryonic stem cells will have a tougher time convincing the public that this type of research is the only hope for the future.

Embryonic stem cell research was on a roll last summer and was used to influence the November elections. Actor Michael J. Fox worked the campaign trail in two states spouting lies about how the Republicans were criminalizing stem cell research and impeding research for Parkinson's disease, with which he is afflicted.

The fact that there is no ban — I repeat, no ban — on embryonic stem cell research doesn't seem to have made much difference to voters in Missouri and Maryland, who decided that it's all right for taxpayers to pay for the funding of bad science.

What should have been headline news last week and certainly deserved a siren call on the Drudge Report was the news that British scientists had created the world's first artificial liver from stem cells, and that this will provide entire organs one day for transplant. What kind of stem cell was used in this miraculous achievement, you may ask? The liver tissue was created from stem cells found in blood from the umbilical cord.

Is God trying to tell us something? No success from embryonic stem cells, disastrous results from experiments with fetal cells, but lo and behold — success when babies are allowed to be born.

Meanwhile, the BBC has a report on what may be an international black market for stem cells. Because of the unproven claims that stem cells from aborted fetuses can help fight many diseases, the trade in these stem cells has flourished, particularly in Ukraine, which has become the self-styled stem cell capital of the world. According to LifeNews.com, a documentary produced for the BBC shows how a Ukrainian hospital is snatching newborns and aborted babies and giving their parts and cells to stem cell firms around the world for beauty injections.

This story is so bizarre that it is probably accurate, given the lengths that some people are willing to go to add years to their lives at the expense of the unborn.

As Western Europe continues to die a slow death thanks to its dwindling native population, America should be celebrating its 300 millionth citizen. We're still growing. What better way to encourage our growth than to send donations to the nonprofit and worthwhile crisis pregnancy agencies that do such good work here to ensure the safety of the unborn and their mothers?

Expectant Mother Care (expectantmothercare.org) is an abortion alternative clinic whose calling is to serve the distraught and disadvantaged through life-affirming education, counseling, on-site contracted medical care, and referrals. It was established more than 20 years ago and has survived attacks by Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, as well as recently winning a cease-and-desist lawsuit against a major abortion provider that advertised itself as an abortion alternative clinic.

Good Counsel Homes (www.goodcounselhomes.org) has saved thousands of babies from the scalpel and burning saline solutions. It operates homes for a mother to live throughout her pregnancy and for a year with her baby after delivery. It also provides parenting, health care, and career guidance taught by a caring staff and volunteers.

There is also the privately funded maternity and adoption program at the Archdiocese of New York, which provides all the material necessities for a healthy pregnancy and an excellent Cribs for Life program to outfit the newborn completely. No Web site is yet available, but one can call 212-371-1000 and ask for the maternity services office.

Umbilical cord blood holds enormous promise for cures. Why isn't Congress working on funding research that works, instead of promoting junk science?

But even if embryonic stem cells did provide a cure for my diabetes, the price of an innocent life is too much for me to pay.