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Rep. Castle discusses stem cell research
Introduced by David Usher, associate professor of biological sciences, Castle stated at the outset that he was not a scientist but was speaking from the policy and government regulatory point of view on the issues surrounding embryonic stem cell research, which he supports. Castle pointed out that he receives many constituent visits in his office in Washington, D.C. and that health care is a major concern, not only of citizens, but doctors, hospitals and organizations concerned with different diseases, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and juvenile diabetes. Every family is affected by health issues in some way so this is important, he said. Castle said he has visited in vitro fertilization clinics, where a number of eggs are taken from each woman and fertilized by sperm, but all are not implanted in a woman to develop. Some are used and some are frozen for a period of time. What is not used is disposed of as hospital waste, with the signed permission of parents and physicians, and no money involved. These could be better used for research, Castle said. He called the number of legal embryonic stem cell lines insufficient for research under the current system. Some institutions, such as Harvard, have developed private lines of stem cells, he said, but this research must be totally separated from any federal funding, under the Bush administration regulations. Castle sponsored a letter to the White House signed by 206 representatives and 68 senators to change the regulations and also is sponsoring legislation for embryonic stem cell research. The White House and the House of Representatives leadership will not move on this although polls indicate that two-thirds of the public is supportive, Castle said. He said he does not foresee getting the legislation on the floor for a vote at this time. Eventually public support or a medical breakthrough lessening disease may bring about change, he said. Getting his legislation to a vote is his problem, and public support does not always mean something gets passed, Castle pointed out. “I’m trying to win [on this issue] but I can’t say I’m going to win,” Castle said. Earlier in his talk, Castle spoke about New Castle County and Delaware being the home of a large scientific community, mentioning the Delaware Biotechnology Institute. States have become interested in embryonic stem research, and he said he is delighted by this, pointing out that there has been discussion about New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware forming a regional embryonic stem cell research group. Prolife advocates look upon blastocysts (fertilized eggs) as life, but Castle pointed out they are not implanted in a woman and instead of being used for research are disposed of as medical waste. Through research, they could help improve life for those who are suffering from disease, he said. Castle answered questions from the audience including what should be the role of the media. The media’s role should be to be responsible, he said, and to educate the public about the difference between adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells, which offer broader research horizons. Embryonic stem cell research is not prohibited, but federal funding and harvesting regulations limit research, Castle said. In his talk, Castle also touched on the issues surrounding somatic nuclear transfer, in which the genetic materials is removed from an egg and an adult’s cell is inserted, and cloning—a topic that makes politicians “ballistic,” he said. No one wants human cloning, and legislation on these issues must meet moral and ethical standards, he added. Article by Sue Moncure To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |
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