Great news! Physicians in Toronto have discovered a cure for
diabetes in mice.
Thinking outside the box, Dr. Hans Michael Dosch and Dr. Michael
Dalter injected the active ingredient in hot chili peppers,
capsaicin, into the pancreatic sensory nerves in mice that had an
equivalent of Type 1 diabetes. To their shock, the mice began
producing insulin immediately.
This amazing discovery was made by doctors at the Hospital for
Sick Children who had long concluded that a similarity exists
between diabetes and multiple sclerosis, a disease of the central
nervous system.
The best thing about the discovery is that no embryos were
dissected to achieve it. To my knowledge, no known cures have
been attributed to embryonic stem cell research.
The doctors' work is now being published in medical journals and,
Dr. Salter said, "it will no doubt cause a great deal of
consternation." I'll say. All those Dr. Frankenstein
wannabes who can't wait to get their hands on government-funded
embryonic stem cells will have a tougher time convincing the
public that this type of research is the only hope for the
future.
Embryonic stem cell research was on a roll last summer and was
used to influence the November elections. Actor Michael J. Fox
worked the campaign trail in two states spouting lies about how
the Republicans were criminalizing stem cell research and
impeding research for Parkinson's disease, with which he is
afflicted.
The fact that there is no ban - I repeat, no ban - on embryonic
stem cell research doesn't seem to have made much difference to
voters in Missouri and Maryland, who decided that it's all right
for taxpayers to pay for the funding of bad science.
What should have been headline news last week and certainly
deserved a siren call on the Drudge Report was the news that
British scientists had created the world's first artificial liver
from stem cells, and that this will provide entire organs one day
for transplant. What kind of stem cell was used in this
miraculous achievement, you may ask? The liver tissue was created
from stem cells found in blood from the umbilical cord.
Is God trying to tell us something? No success from embryonic
stem cells, disastrous results from experiments with fetal cells,
but lo and behold - success when babies are allowed to be born.
Meanwhile, the BBC has a report on what may be an international
black market for stem cells. Because of the unproven claims that
stem cells from aborted fetuses can help fight many diseases, the
trade in these stem cells has flourished, particularly in
Ukraine, which has become the self-styled stem cell capital of
the world. According to LifeNews.com, a documentary produced for
the BBC shows how a Ukrainian hospital is snatching newborns and
aborted babies and giving their parts and cells to stem cell
firms around the world for beauty injections.
This story is so bizarre that it is probably accurate, given the
lengths that some people are willing to go to add years to their
lives at the expense of the unborn.
As Western Europe continues to die a slow death thanks to its
dwindling native population, America should be celebrating its
300 millionth citizen. We're still growing. What better way to
encourage our growth than to send donations to the nonprofit and
worthwhile crisis pregnancy agencies that do such good work here
to ensure the safety of the unborn and their mothers?
Expectant Mother Care (expectantmothercare.org) is an abortion
alternative clinic whose calling is to serve the distraught and
disadvantaged through life-affirming education, counseling,
on-site contracted medical care, and referrals. It was
established more than 20 years ago and has survived attacks by
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, as well as recently winning a
cease-and-desist lawsuit against a major abortion provider that
advertised itself as an abortion alternative clinic.
Good Counsel Homes (www.goodcounselhomes.org) has saved thousands
of babies from the scalpel and burning saline solutions. It
operates homes for a mother to live throughout her pregnancy and
for a year with her baby after delivery. It also provides
parenting, health care, and career guidance taught by a caring
staff and volunteers.
There is also the privately funded maternity and adoption program
at the Archdiocese of New York, which provides all the material
necessities for a healthy pregnancy and an excellent Cribs for
Life program to outfit the newborn completely. No Web site is yet
available, but one can call 212-371-1000 and ask for the
maternity services office.
Umbilical cord blood holds enormous promise for cures. Why isn't
Congress working on funding research that works, instead of
promoting junk science?
But even if embryonic stem cells did provide a cure for my
diabetes, the price of an innocent life is too much for me to
pay.