The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill

Destruction of Human Life Is Unnecessary

by Ill. GOP Rep. Don Manzullo - 01/10/07 12:35 PM ET

Tomorrow, I will oppose legislation requiring taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research because the destruction of human life is unnecessary to advance stem cell research and treat our most horrible diseases. There are four kinds of stem cell research: I support (1) amniotic fluid, (2) umbilical cord, and (3) adult stem cell research, but I oppose (4) federal taxpayer funded research on embryonic stem cells, which requires the destruction of early human life.

Despite 25 years of research in mouse embryonic stem cells and 7 years in the human variety, embryonic stem cells have yet to yield any successful clinical trials in humans. Adult stem cells, however, have treated patients suffering from 72 different diseases in published clinical applications. Researchers have also achieved similar results with stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood, treating more than 70 different types of diseases.

And just last week, both Wake Forest and Harvard universities confirmed that amniotic fluid holds “much the same promise as embryonic stem cells.