Madam, - Senator Ronan Mullen has expressed the hope that no one will be demonised for their point of view on embryonic stem cell research ( The Irish Times, November 21st), so I'd like to give my view in the hope that it will be considered fairly.
My son is quadriplegic following a rugby accident in March 2004. He has shown remarkable strength of character since then, keeping his body in as good condition as is physically possible, while getting on with his studies. He is doing all of this because of his huge hope and faith in world researchers to find a cure for spinal cord injuries like his, along with cures for many other degenerative diseases.
Embryonic stem cells probably possess the capacity to differentiate into all of the cell types of the human body. The number of diseases and medical research problems potentially benefiting from this research is broad and significant. While legitimate ethical issues have been raised by this research it is important to understand that novel technologies show the potential to produce "induced pluripotent stem cells" wherein no embryos or egg cells are used.
In the past 40 years many common human virus vaccines (eg measles, rubella, hepatitis A) have been derived from human aborted fetal tissue. These vaccines have provided benefit to tens of millions of people. Thus there is a clear path to advancing the field of regenerative medicine in a manner consistent with the values of the majority.
In the future Ireland is facing significant economic and social challenges, not least of which are strains on our healthcare system arising from the mounting healthcare costs associated with an ageing population. My son and I would like to see a visionary programme in our time that would unite academia and industry with the goal of translating the discovery of human embryonic stem cells into actual safe and efficacious therapies to save human lives.
- Yours, etc,