First patient treated in stem cell study

On this issue, I have to take exception to the strict conservative view that embryonic stem cells should not be used in medical studies and treatment. I do not endorse abortion, but once the baby is aborted, much benefit can be gained by the use of the stem cells in research and cures for many medical conditions. It has the promise of finding cures for all kinds of physical injuries and the US should be in the forefront of this battle. Restricting the use of stem cells delays the "miracles" needed to rehabilitate our injured soldiers and others who have sustained debilitating injuries.

Excerpt: The first patient has been treated with human embryonic stem cells in the first study authorized by the Food and Drug Administration to test the controversial therapy.

A patient who was partially paralyzed by a spinal cord injury had millions of embryonic stem cells injected into the site of the damage, according to an announcement early Monday by the Geron Corp. of Menlo Park, Calif., which is sponsoring the groundbreaking study.

The study marks a milestone in stem cell research, which is considered one of the most promising developments in medical research in decades but has been fraught with controversy.

The announcement comes as the future of federal funding for embryonic stem cell research remains in doubt. A federal judge ruled in August that the Obama administration's more permissive policy for funding the research violated a federal law prohibiting taxpayer money being used for research that involves the destruction of human embryos. The Justice Department is appealing.

Read the Washington Post article "First patient treated in stem cell study" here.

Click here to view video that shows how stem cell repairs of a spinal cord works.