Tony Perkins, Family Research Council, points out media bias in health care...
Embryonic Gushing vs. Adult Stem Cell Success
The media have gushed over a press release by Geron, giving notice that they had injected the first spinal cord injury patient with cells made from embryonic stem cells (ESC). But even proponents of embryonic stem cells have expressed concern over the rush to begin these experiments on patients. The potential for tumors is real, and probably why Geron has committed to monitoring patients for 15 years. They also know from studies using rats that ESC don't work beyond 1-2 weeks after injury.
This raises the questionable practice of asking vulnerable, newly-injured people to expose themselves to a dangerous experiment. Are the patients told that many show some spontaneous improvement in the first few months? The only real certainty in this human experiment is that Geron's stock price has shot up.
The other certain fact is that Adult Stem Cells have already helped spinal cord injury patients, even up to 15 years after injury. The documented science was presented recently to the U.S. Senate. Rather than risking lives with ethically-problematic experiments, why are the media ignoring real success? Why not put the patients first? Patients like Laura Dominguez have already experienced the life-changing benefits of adult stem cells.
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