Concentrate on use of adult stem cells

Editor,

Recently we have seen the president veto a bill authorizing embryonic stem cell research from fresh embryos, and all this research to be funded by the government. This bill was passed by both sides, Democrat and Republican.

It seems strange that this bill would ever come before the senate because there already is research being conducted in the public and private sectors, and has been for several years, and all that research has not resulted in even a semblance of a cure for any disease.

I am sure that these politicians and Michael Fox are well aware of this, yet they voted to continue research, giving the uninformed the idea that if only they had unfettered access to research on the stem cells of embryos, all those horrible diseases would vanish. Not so, according to a Princeton professor who states that not even one embryonic cell is in stage one of clinical trials.

Adult stem cells taken from the human body have produced many cures and alleviation of symptoms of diseases for which there has not been a cure or help. Here are a few examples: rebuilding livers afflicted by cirrhosis; putting Chrons disease into remission by using the patient's own stem cells; putting Lupus into remission using patients' own stem cells; treating heart attack damage by using patients' own cells; treating sickle disease; healing bone fractures; restoring circulation in legs with bone marrow stem cells from patients.

One could go on and on, but one can research these claims for oneself with the aid of a computer. They say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, so why not concentrate on adult stem cells instead of embryonic testing, considering the results, cures or help now, or cures of help many years hence — if at all?

Thomas A. O'Halloran

Polson