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STEM CELLS CAN BECOME EMBRYOS

TORONTO, Aug 3, 2001 (LSN.ca) - Dr. Dianne Irving, a former biochemist with the National Institutes of Health and currently a world renowned bioethicist, has released a paper showing that so-called 'embryonic stem cells' can become embryos. Irving notes in her paper that this fact is well documented in embryology textbooks. Moreover she quotes fertility specialists who attest to this fact since they use the same procedure as scientists use to extract 'stem cells' to create more embryos from a single embryo - a type of forced twinning.

Dr. John Shea, M.D., medical consultant to Campaign Life Coalition explains, in a recent resource paper written on the topic for Campaign Life Coalition:

"The early embryo (up to 16 days post fertilization) is composed of cells, called blastomeres, which are considered to be totipotent, that is, capable in isolation, of forming a complete embryo. This capacity is due to a process called "regulation", a natural tendency or property inherent in these separated cells or groups of cells. These separated blastomeres have been dubbed "embryonic stem cells" by those who use them for research."
Experts in the field of in vitro fertilization are aware of these facts. Prof. Dr. Mithhat Erenus has stated ... "Since each early embryonic cell is totipotent ... embryo multiplication is technically possible ... the critical period of development to ensure success ... is reported to be between the 4 and 8 cell stages ... for couples who have less than 3 quality embryos for transfer, blastomere separation could be of benefit."

For further explanation on this matter see http://www.lifesite.net/features/stemcellembryo/stemcellsembryos.html

See LifeSite's Stem Cell Resource Page:
http://www.lifesite.net/features/stemcellembryo/index.html

Dr. Erenus' remarks on embryo multiplication are online at:
http://www.hekim.net/~erenus/2000-2001/asistedreproduction/micromanipulation/emb...

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LIBERAL GOV'T REFUSES TO ACCELERATE HUMAN CLONING BAN

OTTAWA, Aug 3, 2001 (LSN.ca) - Despite urging from opposition parties, a move to ban human cloning in the United States, and a government commission which recommended the ban over 10 years old, Ottawa is refusing to hasten a ban on human cloning in Canada. The National Post reports today that senior officials in the office of Health Minister Allan Rock have said that the House of Commons is not expected to adopt a bill dealing with this politically explosive issue before May, 2002, at the earliest.

Pauline Picard, a Bloc Quebecois MP who recently introduced a second private member's bill to prohibit human cloning, told the Post, "The Liberal government is dragging its feet. They should move much faster on this very critical issue because there are no rules right now that exist."

For more see the National Post at:
http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20010803/635709.html

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BIG BROTHERS PROMOTING HOMOSEXUAL MEN AS GUARDIANS FOR YOUNG BOYS

TORONTO, Aug 3, 2001 (LSN.ca) - Big Brothers of Toronto, an organization which encourages men to become temporary guardians for boys, has named a homosexual man its Big Brother of the Year, for the second year in a row. A June article in Fab magazine reports that pro-homosexual activism is not new to the Toronto organization with a mission to take care of young boys. Walter Dimini, the open homosexual who won the award, said that Big Brothers had a booth at the Gay Pride event in Toronto last year.

In July, LifeSite reported that in response to a request from a homosexual activist group the Big Brothers organization dropped a question on sexual orientation from their questionnaire for prospective guardians. Moreover, a follow-up in the monthly update of the homosexual activist group notes that the national Big Brothers association agreed to include a workshop on homosexual issues at their next National Annual Convention. The monthly update from EGALE notes that Big Brothers is "willing to discuss ways in which Big Brothers can be more proactive in ensuring that their local chapters do not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation."

To contact Big Brothers of Canada:
http://bigbrothers.com/html/Contact.html

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NEW TECHNIQUE TO CREATE STEM CELLS WITHOUT EMBRYOS QUESTIONED

LONDON, Aug 3, 2001 (LSN.ca) - PPL Therapeutics PLC, the British firm that helped clone Dolly the sheep, is claiming that it will be able to "avoid the destruction of human embryos" for stem cell research by taking adult cells from a patient and return it to their embryo-like state. However, Dr. John Shea, MD, who has looked into embryo research in depth, suggests that the new announcement is "more smoke and mirrors." Dr. Shea, suggests that the new process is merely human cloning in a different package.

Dr. Shea explains that with cloning, the nucleus of an ovum is removed from the cytoplasm and then the adult somatic cell replaces the nucleus. The new British method for reverting somatic cells to their 'embryo-like' state, takes an adult somatic cell and injects it, or dabs it with cytoplasm from an ovum. Dr. Shea suggests that the difference is similar to offering "bacon and eggs instead of eggs and bacon."

The use of cloning for stem cell research was a necessary development for embryonic stem cell research since scientists know that the embryonic stem cells are, for the most part, rejected by the immune system of the patient who receives and thus would require lifelong use of immunosuppressant drugs. To circumvent this human clones made from somatic cells from the patient could be used, thus eliminating the immune system's rejection of the stem-cell created tissue since the embryo used to create the tissue is a clone of the patient. The cloned human embryos could be implanted in a womb and born, as was the case with the cloned sheep Dolly.

(New Technique May Help Create Stem Cells Without Using Embryos, Wall Street Journal, Aug 3, 2001)

(with files from Pro-Life E-News)

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US NEWS ROUNDUP

Slate reports that Mormons are not against destructive research involving human embryos and that is what has led to the decision by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore to fall out of step with their pro-life colleagues on stem cell research.
http://slate.msn.com/pol/01-08-02/pol.asp

Yesterday the Democratic leader of the Senate, Tom Daschle declared himself "very uncomfortable" with human cloning even for research purposes as he struggled to turn the debate over science and politics back to embryonic stem cell research, which he and many other Democrats support.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/02/politics/02STEM.html?searchpv=nytToday

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