The Big Deal with Stem Cells

You hear about it all the time--the stem cell controversy. But what is all the arguing about? Michael J. Fox, a famous movie star who is slowly dying from Parkinson's disease, has been lobbying congress to pass a stem cell research bill. Christopher Reeves, the late movie star who was tragically paralyzed in a fall from a horse, also lobbied for stem cell research before he died.

Many people believe that stem cell research can help people who have those serious nervous system conditions. The possibility exists that they may be right. It could be that someday a person dying from Parkinson's disease will have an injection of stem cells and will be healed from this terrible disease.

Stem cells can be found in humans of all ages; however, the stem cells that are debated so hotly are the stem cells found in unborn and undeveloped babies. When a baby begins to form inside the womb of the mother, it starts as a mass of cells. The baby doesn't look like a baby at first.

It is impossible to identify the types of cells that make up a baby's tiny body. Those cells are called undifferentiated cells. As they multiply and develop, they will eventually become skin, muscle, bone, nerve, or one of 220 other types of cells. The undifferentiated cells will each become a very specific type of cell. These undifferentiated cells are embryonic stem cells. In experiments done in the science labs, doctors have done some pretty amazing things with stem cells. For example, scientists have taken laboratory animals that had severed spinal cords and injected stem cells into the broken spinal cord. The stem cells developed and reproduced as nerve cells, and the spinal cord grew together and the injury disappeared.

The prospect of curing paralyzed spinal cord injuries excites millions of victims trapped in wheelchairs and hospital beds. There are possibilities that stem cell research might cure Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and a host of other nervous system disorders. What a huge breakthrough in medicine this would be to millions of victims.

If the cost of such a medical breakthrough were not so high, there would be no controversy whatsoever. It would be a “no brainer.” The problem is that the stem cells the scientists want to use come from fetal tissue. Fetal tissue is the name the abortionists give to a baby. The best source of undifferentiated stem cells is in the little body of a defenseless baby in the early stages of development. And that is what is at the heart of the problem.

No scientist in his right mind would take a baby from the baby's crib and kill it to remove its cells. But somehow, some doctors can justify in their minds harvesting the desired cells of the developing baby before disposing of the parts that are no longer needed. Just how long do scientists want to keep the embryonic stem cells growing in the laboratory to harvest and manipulate the cells? Imagine seeing a baby stored as a laboratory rat! Does this not sound like “two wrongs do not make a right”?

The scientists who worked for Adolph Hitler took Jews that were headed to the gas chambers and performed medical experiments on them. Some Jews were burned with flame throwers, and the Germans tested their medical procedures for burn victims. There were hundreds of other documented atrocities. The logic was that the Jews were going to die anyway, so why not get some good from them first?

Proponents of stem cell research are very passionate about saving lives. But a passionate argument is not an excuse for being unjust. One can never justify the taking of an innocent life to save another. No matter how heartfelt the argument, the injustice of killing an unborn baby (fetal tissue to the evolutionist) is repulsive to most Americans.

Supporters of stem cell research are symptomatic of a nation that is moving away from God. America needs pastors, assistant pastors, bus directors, youth pastors, missionaries, evangelists, and Christian school teachers now more than ever. If America is to be saved, it won't happen at the ballot box. It is going to take every Christian that reads this paper making a difference in his community, state, and nation.

I urge you to contact Hyles- Anderson College and make a difference. Hyles-Anderson College is more than just another college. It is a movement -- an army of young people making a difference in America. We want you to help make a difference.