Article September 24, 2001 Issue

Tracing the promise of life and cures back to God

Perspective on the stem- cell debate

The Christian Science Monitor

Reprinted from The Christian Science Monitor

THE DEBATE, of course, has become politicized. All debates that swirl through Washington do, it seems. Big constituencies and significant money are involved. At issue is whether or not federal dollars will help fund the research. What's noteworthy is not so much the political debate, but the utter sincerity of many participants on both sides.

The promise of stem-cell research, say medical experts, is that embryonic stem cells, extracted from a human embryo and properly placed in a patient's body, can transform into other types of cells and bring possible cures to illnesses such as Alzheimer's and diabetes where currently no medical cures exist. Experts agree that fulfilling the promise is still years away. But they feel an urgency to push ahead now in order to develop the needed procedures.

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