Brandon Twp.- The tremors in Barb Kratt’s right hand and arm began eight years ago.
She was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, a neurological disorder in which, she says, the neutrons in the brain disconnect, causing her to shake and throwing off her equilibrium, making it easy to fall. She must make a conscious effort to move.
‘I can tell I’m getting weaker,? says Kratt, 72, who is unable to drive and has home health care workers come daily to stay with her. ‘It’s progressively worse. The medications make me sick. The doctors say I have to get used to them, but it’s hard when two days after you take them you’re in bed.?
Eventually, she says, she will lose all muscle control, ability to swallow and won’t be able to do anything for herself, although, unlike Alzheimer’s patients, her mind will stay intact.
Members of the medical community believe there is hope for Kratt and other Parkinson’s patients, as well as Alzheimer’s and heart disease patients, persons with spinal cord injuries, stroke victims, and even diabetics and people with arthritis.
Their hope lies in stem cell research. However, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which would have allowed the use of federal funds to expand embryonic stem cell research, was vetoed last month by President George W. Bush. The first veto of his presidency is considered a barrier by proponents of the research.
‘We are hampered by the federal ban,? says Dr. Alan Saltiel, director of the Life Sciences Institute at the University of Michigan. ‘I think the veto is a tragedy, misguided and mistaken. It’s confusing the real issues. A common mistaken belief is that we could obtain the same results from adult stem cells or cord blood. Not many reputable scientists would agree.?
In a message to the U.S. House of Representatives sent July 19, Bush noted that in 2001, his administration made federal funds available for embryonic stem cell research, but only on stem cell lines derived from embryos that had already been destroyed. According to the message, he believes that policy allowed important research to go forward and allowed America to continue to lead the world in embryonic stem cell research without encouraging the further destruction of living human embryos.
He defended the veto saying, ‘If this bill were to become law, American taxpayers for the first time in our history would be compelled to fund the deliberate destruction of human embryos. Crossing this line would be a grave mistake and would needlessly encourage a conflict between science and ethics that can only do damage to both and harm our Nation as a whole.?
U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (D-MI) agreed.
‘We should not destroy one human being for the benefit of another, nor should taxpayer funds subsidize creating and killing humans in the name of research,? says Rogers. ‘Cord-blood stem cell research, however, has already shown scientific progress without crossing questionable ethical boundaries, and I do support this effort as well as research on adult stem cells, which also have shown promising results.?
Saltiel believes embryonic stem cell research is not a moral or ethical issue, as the embryonic stem cells that would be used come from fertility clinic embryos that would otherwise be discarded.
‘We’re not creating them for the purpose of research,? he said. ‘I think the moral issue is discarding embryos that could be used for research into disease and helping people and alleviating suffering. The promise is the research. We can’t get there until we have a chance to work on it.?
Kratt’s doctor has told her stem cell research is a long way off from holding a cure. She knows it will not arrive in time to help her, but wants the help for others.
‘If I had a child in a wheelchair, I’d be hoppin? mad right about now,? she said. ‘If (embryonic stem cells) are going to be thrown away, go for it? use them.?
Renee Thompson has been in a wheelchair since 1973, when her spine was severed in a car accident and she was paralyzed from the armpits down. She adapted and is content with her life. Stem cell advancements will not help her because of former treatments she has had. But the 49-year-old Brandon resident wants the research to go ahead.
‘The veto saddens me,? says Thompson. ‘If (Bush) had a loved one it could possibly help, he’d feel differently. We have to continue to progress, not step back.?
Pastor Debbie Line of the Seymour Lake United Methodist Church agrees with the decision by the president and says she would still agree even if she had a family member or friend with a disease or condition that could be helped by the research.
‘It would break my heart, but I would still opposed the use of embryonic stem cells,? she said. ‘I have to be true to who I am. We don’t experiment with where life begins, which for me is at conception.?
Kratt recognizes a moral line needs to be drawn and acknowledges that there must be strict rules for the research. Sitting at her dining room table now, she is reflective.
‘Years ago, someone had to have the first x-ray, the first dose of penicillin, the first dose of polio vaccine,? she says. ‘It’s a matter of stepping over that threshold. I would sign a petition to have stem cell research on the ballot so citizens can take a vote. In the future, I hope the young people will have a choice that I didn’t have. Alzheimer’s victims, accident victims, anyone who needs it would have a chance to use stem cells to see if it could help them.?