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CNN Live Saturday
Authorities Discuss Debate Stem Cell Research
Aired August 04, 2001 - 17:19 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: We are going to continue the topic of stem cell research with two people on opposing sides of the issue. Joining us from Washington, Dr. Jeffrey Rothstein of the Johns Hopkins University, which conducts embryonic stem-cell research with private funding. The university would receive federal funding if President Bush so decides.
Also, in Johnson City, Tennessee, Dr. David Stevens executive director of the Christian Medical Association. He is joining us on the telephone. He is against federal funding for this research.
Dr. Rothstein, let's turn to you first, so your work is going forward even though there is no decision yet on federal funding. What kind of a difference would federal funding mean for you?
DR. JEFFREY ROTHSTEIN, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: Yes, Stephen, thanks for having us this afternoon. The research on stem cells for neurological diseases, which my lab and my colleagues work on, is really essential to move forward in the need for federal funding for this research in paramount.
We've been doing work for the last two years using nonprofit foundations such as the Center for (UNINTELLIGIBLE) or project ALS. But there is no way we'll be able to move this kind of research forward to impact patients without the large amount of funding that comes from the government to understand better how the cells will be useful.
FRAZIER: Project ALS, we call that Lou Gehrig's disease often. That is a pretty small nonprofit. It runs marathons and that sort of thing to raise money, don't they?
ROTHSTEIN: That's right. Not so small. That kind of money has made it essential for groups like our laboratory, laboratories at Harvard and Columbia for a disease like ALS. But also similar groups around the country trying to fund research for Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease and stroke and other devastating neurological diseases.
FRAZIER: Let's ask Dr. Stevens now if we can about those. That's a long list of human misery, Doctor. Why would you oppose these efforts to try to relieve that?
DR. DAVID STEVENS, CHRISTIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION: We're not opposed to efforts to try to relief suffering. In fact, as a physician, the head of an organization of 14,000 doctors, we are very interested in solving these diseases. The question is not whether we should do stem-cell research or not, the question is where do we get the stem cells?
We think it is immoral and unethical to take those stem cells from young human beings. And in the midst of that, destroy them. I think it's much better if we move forward using adult stem cells which hold as much promise, if not more promise, than embryonic stem cells to solve these problems.
FRAZIER: Tell me, is that position universally accepted? Do we really know for sure, Dr. Stevens, about the difference between adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells?
STEVENS: We really don't know the difference for sure. But if there are two courses of research and one requires the a sacrifice of human life and the other one does not, it would seem reasonable that we should move forward and not destroy human beings.
I think there's some distinct problems with embryonic stem-cell research that we're not going to have with adult stem-cell research. One of the most important is, if we move forward with embryonic stem- cell research, it's going to require us to clone human beings, and to sacrifice those embryos that are created that way to be used in therapy. That's not being said very much in the media.
FRAZIER: Let's turn to Dr. Rothstein. Your work is with embryonic stem cells, isn't it, Doctor? And what would you say to the argument that these are human lives which have to be destroyed in order to provide you with those cells?
ROTHSTEIN: So my colleague actually is quite wrong. There's a wide range of cells that we can study and the way to understand this for neurological diseases, and other human diseases is to really compare and contrast all these different cells.
At least for the neurologic diseases that we've been studying, a very fatal devastating disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, it's clear from our early work that in fact, embryonic stem cells appear to be far superior to adult cells. So I would argue that we need to study all of the cell types and by no means should we be discarding and throwing aside the embryonic stem cells which are clearly critical for this research.
These are not human beings. These are small collection of cells. But I have real human patients that are dying. I have 32-year-old patients with young children who will not live more than a few years if we can not move this research forward.
FRAZIER: Dr. Rothstein we are going to have to let that be the last word as we are out of time. Thank you for joining us. Doctor Stevens, thank you for joining us on the telephone. I'm sure we'll be talking again as we have in the past because this issue is continuing to hold public interest.
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