Saying No to the Culture of Death

Ever since the serpent in the Garden of Eden told Eve that she would not die if she tasted of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, man has had a fascination in wanting to play at being God. Instead of acknowledging the Creator, the atheistic bioethicists such as Peter Singer and Bill Allen prefer to deny the existence of God so that they can justify the taking of a human life. The 1960s was the beginning of the era that saw a widespread push for abortion on demand, yet how ironic that there are millions of couples who would have been so very willing to give a home to all of these unwanted babies that are treated as though they are nothing more than a blob of tissue. Even more ironic is the fact that scientists on the one hand have been inventing the means to destroy life at its very beginnings, whilst other scientists have been busy trying to help couples achieve their objectives through the IVF (in vitro fertilization) program.

Whilst I agree that there is a need to help childless couples to become parents, I have to ask at the same time how far can this kind of research go before it borders upon being unethical? There is a renewed push for the scientists to be allowed to experiment with the leftover embryos from the IVF program on the grounds that the embryonic stem cells are necessary to provide a cure for a variety of diseases, including Parkinson's Disease. Given the fact that the cloning of stem cells has now fallen into disrepute as a result of the South Korean Hwang scandal, one would have thought that scientists would be less eager to want to follow the same path to "glory". The prize for finding a cure for these diseases has to be the wealth attached to producing the magic potion to each patient. What I question, even though I am not a scientist or a doctor, or a nurse, is the validity of the argument that it is necessary to use embryonic stem cells for this research, when the umbilical cord blood is a much richer source for these stem cells.

The IVF program opened up a brave new world on the day that Louise Wood was born. What was different about Louise that made her the talk of all of the newspapers' and especially the gossip columns? The life of Louise Wood began when her father's sperm was crossed with her mother's ova in a petrie dish. Those little clumps of cells began to grow and the result was implanted in the womb of Louise's mother. Then, nine months later, we knew that there had been a miracle. As a result of the birth of Louise, doctors began to work on helping childless couples through IVF. The technique meant that several of the woman's eggs were taken at the one time, and the eggs that were not implanted have been frozen. There have been many dilemmas that have been caused because of the existence of these frozen embryos. What happens if the couple separate and divorce? Who gets control over the embryos. Should a woman be allowed to have frozen embryos if her husband has died? Can other childless couples take advantage of the frozen embryos so that they can give birth to these children in waiting?

This last question would allow the embryos reach their full potential, yet the greedy scientists who are vying for glory want to take these embryros and destroy them with their research. These scientists have been trying very hard to convince the world that they are on the cusp of great discoveries that will bring about a cure for such diseases as multiple sclerosis and Parkinsons' Disease. However, the reality is somewhat different from what these scientists are suggesting. It is irksome the way that politicians keep on behaving in such a naive fashion that they willingly accept what the scientists are saying, even when the scientific researchers have not produced any results that support what they are saying. Embryonic stem cell research has not produced any benefits to date, and if anything the research has shown that the use of embryonic stem cells is the least efficient method for therapeutic purposes. There is a big risk of tumors from the use of embryonic stem cells. The best methods available, and the ones that are producing the results have come from the use of stem cells that are found in umbilical cord blood. The researchers who have been working with adult stem cells have also been producing some very promising results.

Why then do these bioethicissts and researchers think that they have the right to play God? Why should these embryos be used by the scientists on projects that are in fact quite dodgy when there are other projects that have been successful in bringing about miraculous innovations for people with diseases such as Parkinsons' Disease. I doubt that embryonic stem cell research will bring about a breakthrough in the search for a cure of Parkinsons' Disease. Money is being wasted on this research and that money could be better spent elsewhere with the scientific world.