Youth parliament > Press gallery > Stem Cells select committee by Storme Sen

Stem Cells select committee by Storme Sen

Scientific and technological advances have propelled mankind into the modern era, whether confronting us with new weapons of war that kill thousands or medical discoveries that save thousands.

By Storme Sen

Scientists almost always start out with good intentions, but the question is what the end product will be used for, and if the end justifies the means. Alfred Nobel (patron of the celebrated Nobel Prizes) made the very revolution that was dynamite, which killed his brother, and from then on dedicated his life towards peace. Adolf Hitler’s scientists performed horrific experiments on the prisoners at concentration camps, are we still morally correct in using the information that they discovered? How far should we go in our quest for knowledge?

The latest biological controversy is over stem cells and the process of therapeutic cloning. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells, cells that are not specialized yet into specific types such as skin cells. They are able to transform into any type of cell given the correct stimulation. Hence, these calls have the potential to repair damaged tissue and develop treatments for diseases such as chronic heart disease, Parkinson’s, and type I diabetes. These remarkable cells are located in the early embryo, the foetus, the placenta, the umbilical cord and in some mature tissues and organs throughout the body. The most recent discovery, in February 2007 by researchers from Auckland University in New Zealand and the Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden, revealed that stem cells can also be located in a certain area of the brain. Stem cells have the potential to revolutionize medical treatments, however, the obvious problem is that they are in hard to reach places.

Embryonic stem cells are the easiest cells to isolate and manipulate, in addition, unlike adult stem cells they are able to evolve into any other type of cell whereas an adult stem cell is limited in the cells it may transform into. For example, the stem cells found in a part of the brain can only change into different types of neurons. Further research into stem cells would require a steady supply of them, indeed, the breakthrough research we have now was performed on aborted foetuses and surplus IVF (in vitro fertilization) embryos, and some people do not feel it is ethical. Abortion itself is a controversial topic that many people also contest.

At Youth Parliament 2007 in Wellington, New Zealand, a select committee of Youth MPs gathered to discuss whether therapeutic cloning of stem cells should be allowed in their country. The members of the committee get the opportunity to question witnesses or specialists on the subject and contribute to discussion and deliberation amongst the group. The witnesses included an array of people with different viewpoints, such as a representative from the Bioethics Council, the Nathaniel centre (a catholic bioethics centre) and the Ministry of Health.

Therapeutic cloning is often mistaken for embryo cloning, when in fact embryos are not being cloned at all. Genetic material is taken from a cell in an adult’s body and fused with an empty egg cell. With the correct stimulation the new cell is able to grow into an embryo. The stem cells can then be harvested from the embryo for use in treatments or research. A huge advantage of doing this is that the genetic material of the stem cells and the patient are the same, so that there is no danger of rejection by the patient’s immune system. Currently, for example, when an organ is transplanted into a patient, that patient has to take strong immune suppressant drugs for the rest of their lives.

There has been no therapeutic stem cell cloning in New Zealand thus far and the representatives from the Nathaniel centre were adamant that it should stay that way. They expressed nothing but contempt for the idea of producing an embryo for the sole purpose of extracting a bunch a cells from it then destroying it, arguing that “it is a scientific fact that life begins from conception”. This is actually a very disputed argument and the moment when an embryo is considered a human is not known. While Youth MP Anna Lee says that the “idea that life start at the moment of conception is not a strong belief of mine because I don’t see a small embryo or a cell as a child” and thinks that aborted embryos or surplus IVF embryos (of which there are currently 5000-7000 and the maximum number of years they can be stored in New Zealand is ten) should be utilised instead of simply being destroyed, the representatives from the Nathaniel centre argued for “the dignity of human life”.

While stem cells hold tremendous potential and there have been many promises made, every witness maintained that these dreams are far from being realized. Youth MP Matthew Neary agrees, describing the technology we have now as “too primitive”, even calling the argument too difficult to decide upon, saying that we should “keep the debate going for another five years until we can find something else”. Although, Matthew Neary also adds that the committee “do not wish to close the door completely” on stem cell therapy lest New Zealand should become a “backwater for research.” Allowing therapeutic cloning in New Zealand might also taint the clean and green natural image the country has and pave the way for New Zealand to be reprimanded “on lots of other issues we’ve taken a strong stance upon like G.E. and nuclear power.”

MoRST (the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology) assured the committee that any scientific exploits were monitored under strict regulations, however, what is to stop a rogue scientist from toying with nature? The Chair of the select committee, Rink Tacoma, highlighted this uncertainty by saying, “Yes, I’m concerned that we might get to the point of human cloning where we will be selecting genes to produce perfect individuals.”

Currently, the therapeutic cloning of stem cells is permitted in Belgium, the UK and Sweden. Whether or not it will be permitted in New Zealand is yet to be seen, however, the conclusion that the select committee at Youth Parliament came to was that it should only be allowed using surplus IVF embryos or aborted foetuses. The committee is also hopeful that soon scientists will find a way to manipulate adult stem cells into changing into any type of cell, which would nullify the use of embryonic stem cells. Most people know what an embryo looks like, but we need to consider what it means to us.

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