Politics
Monday May 10, 2004
Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell Expert Says Designer Babies Not Necessary for Treatments
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
TORONTO, May 10, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The great curative properties of umbilical cord stem cells, the ethical and superabundant stem cells which have treated many disorders, are being unfairly tainted with ethically problematic genetic screening. In recent weeks scientists in Chicago announced that they are making designer babies for parents who have children in need of stem cell treatment. The scientists use IVF (in vitro fertilization) to create embryos and then PGD (pre-implantation genetic diagnosis) to weed out human embryos in search of a tissue match for the embryonic children's already-born siblings.
In an interview with LifeSiteNews.com Dr. Peter Hollands, the Scientific Director of Cells for Life, a private cord blood bank in Markham Ontario, said that the IVF and PGD procedures are not necessary to find tissue matches for patients in need of stem cell treatment. "Personally, I do not agree with the process," Dr. Hollands told LifeSiteNews.com. "If we focused more on collecting umbilical cord blood from most births and storing the samples in a public bank there would then be a suitable match for almost everyone. The 'designer babies' would then not be needed as the cord blood banks could easily support the demand for cells for transplantation."
Dr. Hollands, who holds a PhD in Stem Cell Biology from Cambridge University, noted that the designer baby experiments have also taken place in his native UK.
Dr Hollands stressed however, that in order to find tissue matches for everyone, umbilical cord blood should be harvested after most if not all deliveries in Canada. He said that while umbilical cord blood stem cells are easier to match than most stem cells, "ethnic minorities or just simply unlucky people do not get a match very easily." He concluded, "If we create a national Canadian cord blood bank, collecting samples from most of the deliveries in Canada, then we would have enough cells to treat everyone. This is our aim at Cells for Life and we are currently lobbying parliament on this subject."
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Chicago Lab Brings Five Babies to Birth for Spare Parts
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/may/04050604.html
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- BREAKING: US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 220 to 215
- Stupak Amendment to Health Care Bill Passes 240 - 194 Saturday Evening
- Major Health Care Development - Pro-Life Stupak Amendment Vote OK'd for Today
- NY Times: Dems Banking on Later Squeezing Pro-Life Language Out of Bill in Committee
- USCCB Spokesman: "Definitely Not True" that Bishops Support Bill As it Stands
- TIME Got it Wrong - Prof. George Opposed Grandiose Kennedy Funeral
- USCCB Condemnation Tears Facade off "Phony" Abortion Compromise for Health Bill
- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner
- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholic Left
- Dirty Fighting on Abortion Funding: Word-Games and Health-Care Theatrics Boggle the Mind
- Commentary on November 6 News
- Note to LifeSiteNews Subscribers with Rogers email addresses
- New York Gov. Declares Nov. 10 Extraordinary Legislative Session for Same-Sex "Marriage"
- Washington's Pro-Family Amendment Effort Defeated - R-71 Almost Certain to Pass
- Vote Pushed Back on Canadian Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Bill to Dec. 2
- Elderly U.K. Couple in Good Health Commit Suicide, Complain of Assisted Suicide Law
- Texas Late-Term Abortionist and Baptist Minister Admits: "Am I killing? Yes, I am"
- New Evidence Contradicts CCHD's Findings on Accused Pro-Abortion Partner
- Quebec Priest Denies Possibility of Sexual Reorientation Therapy on TV
- New Hampshire Same-Sex "Marriage" Law in Crosshairs after Maine's Law Crumbles
- Brooklyn Bishop Criticized for Recorded Message Praising Pro-Abortion Politician
- First Group of "Traditionalist" Anglicans in Britain Votes to Enter Catholic Church
Most Read this Week
- Planned Parenthood Director Resigns after Watching Ultrasound of Abortion Procedure
- Nun Defiant Following Rebuke, but Stops Abortion Escorting
- Breaking: Dominican Community Apologizes for Nun Caught Acting as Abortion Escort
- Over 200 Christendom College Students Protest Abortion at Planned Parenthood Clinic
- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholics Left
- Newly Identified Corporate Supporters of Planned Parenthood Named
- Scottish Gay Rights Activists Found Guilty of Pedophilia Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
- US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 218 to 215
- Major Health Care Bill Development - Stupak Hyde Amendment Vote OK'd
- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.