As appropriators begin to draft their 13 annual spending bills, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education held a hearing on April 26 to discuss stem cell research and a bill (S. 2015) that would permit federally funded human embryonic stem cell research. During the FY2000 appropriations process, Subcommittee Chair Arlen Specter (R-PA) attempted to repeal the current ban on federally funded human embryo research.
However, the provision was removed from the bill in exchange for an assurance by Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) that the Senate would be allowed to debate a stand-alone bill (S. 2015) this year.
The controversial issue of stem cell research began on November 5, 1998, when two scientists announced that they had isolated human embryonic stem cells—primitive cells that have the capability of developing into virtually any human cell—and were able to cultivate those cells into other human cells. The isolation of stem cells presents scientists with the potential capability of growing human tissue that could be used to treat a number of diseases, such as juvenile diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, by replacing diseased cells with healthy ones.
In January 1999, Dr. Harold Varmus, formerly of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced that the agency would begin funding human embryonic stem cell research after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) determined that the research did not fall under the federal ban because “such cells are not a human embryo within the statutory definition.” To that end, HHS on December 1, 1999, proposed regulations for such research. Although the public comment period ended on February 22 of this year, final regulations have not been issued because of the continued controversy over the moral and ethical implications of medical research involving embryonic or fetal tissue.
Noting that this was the fifth hearing on the subject, Sen. Specter expressed his strong support for human embryonic stem cell research. Stating that he was opposed to abortion, Sen. Specter added, “My analysis has demonstrated that discarded embryos are not going to be used for human life.” Additionally, he implored NIH to issue final regulations: “There needs to be a sense of urgency here.”
The Stem Cell Research Act of 2000 (S. 2015) would permit the use of federal funds for human embryonic stem cell research involving “embryos that otherwise would be discarded that have been donated from in-vitro fertilization clinics with the written and informed consent of the progenitors.” The bill would prohibit the creation of human embryos, the cloning of human beings, and the purchase or sale of human embryos.
Members of the subcommittee heard from proponents as well as opponents of human embryonic stem cell research and S. 2015. Dr. Gerald Fischbach of the National Institute of Neurobiological Disorders and Stroke at the NIH detailed the potential application of human embryonic stem cell research, saying that such research could aid our understanding of normal human development, change the way in which drugs are developed and tested, and possibly treat or cure a number of diseases through cell transplantation therapy. “Because these cells are capable of limitless division and self-renewal, they can be maintained indefinitely in tissue culture, making them a vital resource for research,” stated Dr. Fischbach.
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) opposed S. 2015, arguing that “federally funded human embryonic stem cell research is illegal, immoral and unnecessary.” He told the subcommittee that such research would violate the current ban on human embryo research, which prohibits the use of federal funds for “research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death.” He also argued that the research would violate current law with respect to fetal tissue research by using “tax dollars to kill live embryos for the immediate and direct purpose of using their parts for research.”
Under the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-43), researchers are allowed to conduct therapeutic research on aborted fetal tissue using federal dollars. P.L. 103-43 established a number of safeguards aimed at preventing the exploitation of women. Prior to donating fetal tissue for research purposes, a woman is required to sign a statement declaring that she is donating the tissue, that she understands a recipient cannot be designated, and that she does not know the identity of the recipient. Additionally, the physician performing the abortion is required to certify that the woman gave her consent for the procedure prior to being advised that she could donate the tissue. The law also prohibits the sale or purchase of fetal tissue obtained from induced abortions. Violators of this prohibition are subject to fines and/or up to ten years in prison.
Mary Jane Owen of the National Catholic Office for Persons with Disabilities agreed with Sen. Brownback, saying, “Do not, in the name of progress for disabled people, certify or justify the destructive harvesting of human embryos for stem cell research, a practice both immoral and unnecessary.”
Both Sen. Brownback and Ms. Owen noted that there are alternatives to human embryonic stem cell research, such as adult stem cell research, and encouraged the subcommittee to “aggressively fund” that research. Sen. Brownback detailed several recent animal studies where scientists were able to cultivate new brain cells from adult neural stem cells and reverse diabetes in mice with adult pancreatic stem cells, saying, “There are legitimate areas of research which are showing more promise than embryonic stem cell research and which do not create moral and ethical difficulties.”
Despite the promise of adult stem cell research, Dr. Allen Spiegel of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the NIH noted limitations to such research. “While some stem cells are present in adults, there may not be an adult stem cell for every type of cell in the body, and they may be present in only minute numbers. In addition, they may be very difficult to isolate….Pluripotent stem cells [found in human embryos] have truly amazing abilities to self-renew and to form many different cell types….Adult stem cells may be able to divide only a limited number of times, which would limit their usefulness,” he said.
“Stem cell research holds so much promise. To say we’re only going to use one source is to tie one hand behind our back,” stated Subcommittee ranking Democrat Tom Harkin (D-IA).
Lawrence Goldstein of the American Society for Cell Biology agreed, noting the ethical implications of prohibiting federally funded stem cell research. “It is important to keep in mind that banning federal funding for human pluripotent stem cell research will not eliminate it. Such research will proceed in private industry and in other countries. This fact prompts serious concern that such work could be conducted in secret, without benefit of ethical regulation or public debate,” he stated.
Also addressing the controversy over the use of human embryos, actor Christopher Reeve of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation said, “Is it more ethical for a woman to donate unused embryos that will never become human beings, or to let them be tossed away as so much garbage when they could help save thousands of lives?” He implored the committee to fund the research: “While we prolong the stem cell debate, millions continue to suffer. It is time to harness the power of the government and go forward.”
