“The pending bills, SB160 and HB 457, would ban and criminalize SCNT research and the use of SCNT stem cells to treat patients in Missouri. These drastic bills would take away the right of Missouri patients to receive future treatments that could cure diseases affecting hundreds of thousands of Missouri’s children and adults,” said Rabbi Susan Talve of the Central Reform Congregation during a press conference last month of clergy who support stem cell research.
Talve continued, “In fact, these measures would make any patients, doctors, hospitals and the research facilities who “participate” in SCNT research and cures guilty of a Class B felony, subject to jail terms of 15 years.”
The legislation in question, introduced in January by Senator Matt Bartle of Kansas City, would ban and criminalize not only human cloning, but also would ban gene therapy known as Somatic Cell Nuclear transfer (SCNT).
Reverend James Morris of Lane Tabernacle CMC agrees with Talve, and said that there are other African American clergy who do as well, but who are afraid to speak out because of the controversial nature of stem cell research.
He said, “I know some African Americans in the faith community that the support the research, but because the issue is so controversial they are not willing to do much talk about it. The real issue is saving lives, and SMNT does not involve the uterus.”
“The most important reason that I support this research is that stem cell research, or somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) saves lives. Its about a research that would help overcome problems of immune rejection, it will help facilitate the study of inherited diseases and mutations of cells. It does things that are just phenomenal in the break through in certain diseases, particularly diseases that affect African American. For this reason I support the Research.
“The lives of people and health have always been important; they were important to Christ. I think its worthy research.”
Dr. Alan Schwartz, pediatrician in-chief at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, recently explained to the American exactly what occurs during SCNT therapy within the context of diabetes, a disease which effects many in the African American community.
“There are lots of severe complications of diabetes that just giving insulin shots does not cure. They are all potentially eliminated by taking stem cells, causing them to develop into beta cells that produce insulin and then giving those beta cells bck to the individual.
“The way in which to do that with stem cells is a technique called Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer. What this type of stem cell research involves is to take an egg cell, and take the genetic material out of the egg cell and then to put into that egg cell without the genetic material, the genetic material of any other cell of the body.
“You could take the genetic material out of my skin cells for example and put that into the egg cell, and then that egg cell genetically is identical to me, because it has all of my genetic material in it. Those egg cells then can develop into stem cells which can then be developed into beta cells for the pancreas, nerve cells for spinal cord injury, and cardiac cells for heart disease repair and so on.”
While both Reverend Morris and Dr. Schwartz support SCNT, both are opposed to human cloning. Morris said, “There is a lot of information out there that is misinformation. A lot of people really need to know specifically that it is not cloning. It is not cloning! It does not effect life either”
Schwarz agreed with Morris saying, “I firmly believe that human cloning to create babies is unacceptable, and that should be banned. But this is medical search with somatic cell nuclear transfer. This is not creating babies. This is not creating new genetic combinations.
“This is using the genes that already exist to develop replacement cells, so I don’t see that there is any conflict at all. This is not the same as an issue which would be created by sperm and egg fertilization.”
Dr. Michael R. DeBaun, an attending physician in the Division of Hematology-Oncology and Medical Director of Pediatric Hospice at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, said that if the ban on SCNT takes effect, it could have severe and long-lasting effects on the region and the world.
He said, “If the bill passes I think there will be a major blow to the progress of scientific discovery, not just in Missouri, but in the nation and in the world.
“Washington University is the second ranked medical school in the country which means its one of the top medical schools in the world. Research impeded at Wash U will ultimately result in research impeded throughout the world in terms of this technology.
“Ultimately the state of Missouri will loose not only the opportunity for discovery, but also the resources that are allocated to conduct such research along, with personal and world class investigators that would choose to leave Missouri to go to other states to pursue the science.”
