The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is getting more active in the debate over controversial stem cell research, which fans hail as potentially pivotal in coming up with cures for diabetes and other diseases.
The organization applauded the U.S. Senate’s passage of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act" (S.5) last week, which would ease funding restrictions and support research using embryonic stem cells while maintaining strict ethical guidelines.
In hailing the Senate’s decision, the ADA’s chair of the board, Darlene Cain, lamented that "our nation’s leading respected scientists and researchers have been held back … for five long years by federal stem cell restrictions that have prevented them from making significant advances toward a cure for diabetes and other chronic debilitating diseases."
Passage of the legislation could "bring us one step closer to unlocking resources that could lead to major discoveries in our fight against this disease," Cain maintained, noting both patients with type 1 diabetes who rely on insulin to survive and the nearly 21 million people with type 2 diabetes could potentially benefit from new treatments.
If you’ve been following the news, you’ll know that President Bush has now promised to veto the bill, and the ADA is now urging for bipartisan support from members of the Senate and House to override this veto.
In case you’ve been hiding out under a rock, here’s a quick primer on the much-debated stem cell research.
As the National Institutes of Health explains it, "embryonic stem cells, as their name suggests, are derived from embryos. Specifically, embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos that develop from eggs that have been fertilized in vitro—in an in vitro fertilization clinic—and then donated for research purposes with informed consent of the donors."
The NIH further clarifies. "They are not derived from eggs fertilized in a woman’s body. The embryos from which human embryonic stem cells are derived are typically four or five days old and are a hollow microscopic ball of cells called the blastocyst."
Advocates point out that human embryonic stem cells have the potential to grow all cell types, including nerve, organ and blood cells, and since the cells are so powerful — or "pluripotent" as scientists term it –stem cells are viewed as the key to a cure for a number of diseases.
As you can learn on sites like this one that for diabetes research, access to stem cells and federal funding for stem cell studies could help scientists better understand how the cells give rise to beta cells which release insulin, which, of course, controls blood glucose levels. This may mean a cure for type 1 diabetes and a way to control type 2 diabetes, which, as we’re hearing often, has grown at an alarming rate in the U.S.
FYI, last week, the ADA had urged the Senate to vote in favor of easing restrictions on federal funding, which Bush initiated in 2001. Last September, the Senate passed stem cell legislation but President Bush vetoed the bill. The president has promised to veto any such legislation if it crosses his desk again.
Pro-lifer groups are vocal opponents of embryonic stem cell research, and they argue that the practice amounts to "destroying human life."
But fans of embryonic stem cell research believe that their argument doesn’t carry much weight, because cells that would be used for research would come from embryos left over after in-vitro fertilization procedures and would be discarded anyway.
So, as advocates point out, the overriding question is: Should existing embryos be simply discarded or should they be used to their full potential and possibly cure serious diseases, including diabetes?
Interestingly, the debate over stem cell research isn’t separated by party lines. Nancy Reagan has lobbied in support of federally funded stem cell research in light of former president Ronald Reagan’s long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
What’s more, celebrities like Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson’s disease, backs stem cell research. Likewise, the late Christopher Reeve, known by many as the first Superman, supported embryonic stem cell research to help treat spinal cord injuries.
From Althea Chang and Connie Bennett