Foetal cells 'to treat strokes'

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Not really, but an aborted baby was the source for stem cells in this case. I have noticed a few threads in this forum that advocates using adult stem cells. Well, does anyone have a reputable source that says we can derive the stem cells in a “morally acceptable fashion” (in context of this message board “morally acceptable” means that it is amiable to Catholic moral teaching) that does not involve embryos or aborted fetuses?

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6207236.stm
 
Can you clarify? Are you asking if adult stem cells can be removed in such a manner? If so, then the answer is ‘yes,’ if you consider liposuction “morally acceptable.” 😃
sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040309074344.htm
During the past three years, the Duke researchers exposed cells taken from human liposuction procedures to different cocktails of nutrients and vitamins, and “reprogrammed” them to grown into bone, cartilage, fat and nerve cells. At the time, they termed these cells adipose-derived stromal cells.
However, as a result of the latest set of experiments, the researchers are now confident that the majority of these cells are indeed truly adult stem cells that have the potential to be reprogrammed into traveling down multiple developmental paths. This is important, they said, because these cells could be a single, readily available source for creating new cells and tissues to treat disease.
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ribozyme said:
Not really, but an aborted baby was the source for stem cells in this case. I have noticed a few threads in this forum that advocates using adult stem cells. Well, does anyone have a reputable source that says we can derive the stem cells in a “morally acceptable fashion” (in context of this message board “morally acceptable” means that it is amiable to Catholic moral teaching) that does not involve embryos or aborted fetuses?

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6207236.stm
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You can also use cord blood from a newborn baby’s umbilical cord. They’re rich with stem cells! No death involved, no muss no fuss. Well, muss, but no fuss from the Church!
 
dafalax said:
You can also use cord blood from a newborn baby’s umbilical cord. They’re rich with stem cells! No death involved, no muss no fuss. Well, muss, but no fuss from the Church!
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But they have not yet differentiated unlike the fetus’ stem cells. Using an aborted fetus is different than using an embryo. And, I think there might be some obstacles to using embryonic stem cells as they have to differentiate properly or they might reproduce uncontrollably and produce tumors. Adult stem cells do not have this drawback, but embryonic stem cells are totipotent (i.e. they have the ability to differentiate into anything). These barriers do not seem insurmontable, however, as I think they can be overcome by learning more about embryonic stem cell differentiation.
 
ribozyme said:
But they have not yet differentiated unlike the fetus’ stem cells. Using an aborted fetus is different than using an embryo. And, I think there might be some obstacles to using embryonic stem cells as they have to differentiate properly or they might reproduce uncontrollably and produce tumors. Adult stem cells do not have this drawback, but embryonic stem cells are totipotent (i.e. they have the ability to differentiate into anything). These barriers do not seem insurmontable, however, as I think they can be overcome by learning more about embryonic stem cell differentiation.
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I think i may misunderstand your question. If you are asking about adult stem cells, i don’t know of a way of getting them that anyone has a problem with. As long as the stem cell donor is willing and the process doesn’t kill them, it’s okay.
With embryonic stem cells, the embryo necessarily dies. Unless they can extract stem cells without killing the person, then there is no morally acceptable way to get embryonic stem cells.
Cloning an embryo also doesn’t work because it is still a new life created. Hope this clarifies.
 
dafalax said:
I think i may misunderstand your question. If you are asking about adult stem cells, i don’t know of a way of getting them that anyone has a problem with. As long as the stem cell donor is willing and the process doesn’t kill them, it’s okay.
With embryonic stem cells, the embryo necessarily dies. Unless they can extract stem cells without killing the person, then there is no morally acceptable way to get embryonic stem cells.
Cloning an embryo also doesn’t work because it is still a new life created. Hope this clarifies.
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Well, I thank you for trying to clarify the Church’s position for me. But I was not asking for a clarification of the church’s position. An answer to my (although an unsatisfactory one) was provided to me from the sciencedaily site. But I will say that link was somewhat helpful as it seems that adult stem cells have more potential than previously believed. Could this lead to cures, or another dead end? I do not know unfortunately. But from reading that article, it will take scientists years to fully comprehend the potential of adult stem cells. But, given what I do know about stem cells (mainly from reading textbooks such as Biology by Reese, Campbell and Mitchell 5th edition), I do not think I have the knowledge to comprehend a detailed answer to this question.

I most certainly have my own opinions about the morality embryonic stem cell research and the article in question. I will say that I do not totally agree with the teachings of the Catholic Church, primarily because I am not a Catholic. I do not think I should present arguments advocating my own opinions on this message board because I do not want to offend anyone. And I do not think presenting my arguments here could convince anyone. It is not to say that I view the posters here as closed minded, but it seems futile to present an argument from a utilitarian perspective and expect those arguments to convince Catholics. I only argue when I feel that posters misrepresent the views of advocates of other systems of ethics such as Peter Singer. For example, some people believe his ideas leads to genocide while Singer’s ideas do not as he believes that we should respect the interests of others.

I will say that I consider myself more pro-life than most liberals, atheists, and utilitarians but I do not believe in the sanctity of human life. I also respect the Church’s teachings on social justice as it appeals to an egalitarian such as myself.
 
This is not the best article, but it will have to do while I look for some more. Its about adult stem cells used to repair cartilage and bone in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Its a peer-reviewed scientific journal article, so it might be a little tough to read - the parts you would probably be most interested in are the last two - “Cells for Cartilage Repair” and “Conclusions”. Let me know if you have difficulty understanding it and I’ll try to help, but those last two parts are pretty comprehensible, I think. Hopefully this is the kind of source you’re looking for.

blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.0105-2896.2005.00223.x
 
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