September 12, 2001
M0m(UthH0r00
Second Opinion
Cell research is controversial but is a must
Chrbty Kimball
Staff Reporter
□ It’s a month
after Bush’s
decision on
stem cells, but
the debate is in
no embryonic
stage
V^thin the next ten years,
there will be a soar in the
implication and development
of biotechnology and biomed*
ical research.
The first is a very controver
sial discovery: embryonic stem
cells.
It promises to be beneficial,
but the more pertinent question
is whether it crosses the line of
medical ethics.
Embryonic stem cells are
basically “wild card” cells.
They are cells that have not yet
differentiated into their specific
ceil type such as heart muscle,
brain, slcin or other tissue.
Stem cells are the
basic building^^^^^
blocks for approxi
mately 260 cell
types in the human
body.
They could be
used to treat dia
betes, Parkinson’s
disease, Alzheimer’s
disease, heart dis*
ease or other disorders.
Thm is no doubt. If the
cells are harvested and used
correctly, and if the theory can
match the science, they could
save millions of lives.
Embiyonic stem cells were
discovered in 1998 by a team
led by Dr. James Thompson, a
University of Wisconsin biolo-
gist-
The Wisconsin Alumni
Research Fund (WARF) owns
the U. S. patent on the method
used to find embryonic stem
^^Stein cell research is not ^^killing
babies” but is simply extracting a
special type of ceil. It will be a bless
ing to millions of people...’’
cells.
WARF licenses this stem
cell technology to researchers
at both academic and non-prof
it institutions as well as to
some corporations. WARF and
its subsidiary, WiCell, reached
an agreement with the National
Institute of Health allowing the
agency to use WARF’s five
stem cell lines.
There are sixty-four stem
cell lines all over the world that
fall under E*resident Bush’s cri
teria for federally funded
research.
Bush’s criteria
are that the cell
lines had to have
been both in exis
tence on Aug. 9,
2001 and come
> from a surplus of
embryos from fer-
tility clinics.
Also, embryo
parents had to have consented
to give up the embryos for
research without compensa
tion.
The controversy cHnes from
anti*ab^onists who equivo
cate stem cell research with
abortion. Hie extraction of
stem cells does kill the embryo,
but embryos do have a shelf
life and when they reach this
deadline they are discarded.
An embryo is a very primi
tive form of life. It is not to be
confused with a fetus. Stem
cell research is not “killing
babies” but is simply extracting
a special types of cell. It will be
a blessing to millions of people
and those people’s families.
Stem cell research is only
the beginning of many great
and useful discoveries. It is
important to know all the facts
and not form an c^inion in
haste. Stem cells may save
your life one day.
Reflecting on the Attack
TRASH TALK
America has started to recycle, but we have not reached ourl
Ipotential. Here are a couple of statistics that illustrate howl
Imuch recyclable material is still being casually tossed into thel
Igarbage: Americans throw away enough aluminum cans!
{every three months to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet, j
Part of America's waste is due to ignorance about howl
Imany products can be recycled. A few less well known recy-l
Iclable materials are foil, plastic bags, junk mail, magazines,!
jcard board, phone books, Christmas trees, batteries, and ink!
Icartridges. It’s not hard to recycle even if there isn’t a pick upl
Ipoint directly oui side of your dorm room. To recycle accept-|
lable materials, just sort it, pack it up and take it to one of
leleven Convenience Centers in Wake County.l
To find a list of these centers and more recyclable materialsl
just visit http://www.co.wake.us/solwaste.l
One of a series of ads this semester from
Dr. Carol Hazard*s
Environmental Resources class
While eating lunch in Belk Dining Hall, freshman Guirimte Habtemariah
watches the latest news coverage on the terrorist attack on the United
States. Across campus yesterday, students were glued to their televi
sions, watching stations such as CNN for the latest update.
Photo B\ Chsistika Hoi.mii