Reports that researchers have developed a technique to turn ordinary skin cells into what appear to be embryonic stem cells were front-age news yesterday, and with good cause. It’s a tremendous scientific achievement that holds great promise.
But in terms of the ongoing debate over federal stem-cell policy, it doesn’t mean a thing.
The political fight in the halls of Congress and the White House is over legislation to allow funding for research on embryos that would otherwise be discarded right now. Opponents of the bill — primarily on the far-right — saw yesterday’s announcement as a breakthrough that could stall the legislation’s momentum. But as the researchers themselves explained, this would be irresponsible.
The news that Harvard scientists have successfully converted human skin cells into embryonic stem cells — without using a human egg or new embryo — is likely to muddle the already complex debate over federal stem cell research policy.
Even as they were describing the findings being published this week in the journal Science, the researchers cautioned yesterday that the new approach is still in the early stages. They exhorted lawmakers to press ahead with the more conventional, but controversial, technique of removing stem cells from days-old human embryos.
“This technology is not ready for prime time,” said lead author Kevin Eggan. “This is not a replacement for the techniques we already have.”
There is, in other words, no reason to put off potentially life-saving research now for techniques that may, someday, help skirt some conservatives’ ethical concerns.
But there’s another catch: for the inflexible GOP base, skin-cell to stem-cell research isn’t good enough anyway.
James Dobson’s Focus on the Family issued an alert to its members yesterday explaining that this new technique fuses together DNA from a patient who gave the adult skin cells and DNA from an embryonic stem cell — which means real conservatives have to reject this research, too.
[I]n this case, there remains a serious ethical problem.
“One of the ingredients they started with is a human embryonic stem cell — which had to come from destroying a human embryo,” [Dr. David Prentice of the Family Research Council] said. “So they still have a way to go before they can say this is ethical research.”
As a result, it’s not as if opponents of Castle-DeGette can say, “Let’s put off the current plan and see how quickly this research develops,” because even as it progresses, the hard right will object to it whenever it comes to fruition. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), for example, said yesterday, “We should not rush this debate.” That way, Brownback can block medical breakthrough now and in the future.
Fortunately, stem-cell advocates in Congress know this and are moving forward.
“We are right where we always were,” Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, a co-sponsor of the bill with Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said by telephone Monday after reading of the advance by the Harvard team.
Senate supporters of more federal funding for embryonic stem cell research claim to have at least 60 votes for overturning Bush’s policy. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., added his support last month.
Frist’s office said Monday a debate and a vote on the bill will still take place in September despite the scientists’ announcement and pleas by conservatives to delay the vote.
Stay tuned.