by John Ryan
Daily Lobo guest columnist
The New Mexico Senate again passed legislation that I introduced that would permit embryonic stem cell research at the UNM Health Sciences Center.
Using those embryos in research that otherwise would be discarded could help find a cure to Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and many other diseases and spinal cord injuries. We need to allow our doctors to engage in this kind of work to realize the promise that the research holds.
There is great hope for the more than 128 million Americans who suffer from the crippling burdens of degenerative and acute diseases, of which several thousand reside in New Mexico.
The bill prohibits any type of cloning and the creation of an embryo with the sole intent of using it in research. All research must be conducted in accordance with policies promulgated by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science. This bill also enforces legal penalties if these standards and guidelines are abused or not followed.
This issue is very personal to me and my family. For the past nine years, my wife and I have provided care for my mother-in-law who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. The disease has slowly destroyed her ability to speak, walk and eat. The effect this has had on her and our family has been heartbreaking. My bill would advance biological knowledge and research in life sciences and increase New Mexico's potential contribution to medical science in finding cures for these diseases.
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Can you imagine Cody Unser's story? Cody is the daughter of Al Unser Jr. from the famous Unser racing family. To be 13 years old, playing basketball with friends one day and waking up the next day permanently paralyzed with what proves to be a crippling and incurable disease of the
spinal cord - Transverse Myelitis. What if she were your daughter or sister? Wouldn't you do everything in your power to give her hope and to one day see her walk again?
Fertility clinics have been in operation for more than 25 years and have helped thousands of couples have children. The process is widely accepted and embraced by America. However, it requires that numerous embryos be produced to increase the chance of pregnancy.
According to Lee Caperton, a fertility specialist who runs the Center for Reproductive Medicine in Albuquerque, about 50 percent of embryos created are not capable of producing a pregnancy, but could be used for scientific research.
Currently, New Mexico couples participating in in-vitro fertilization do not have the ability to donate their unusable embryos to science to help others, but they do have the ability to destroy them. My bill would offer them a better choice. It only permits biomedical research on those embryos produced by in-vitro fertilization clinics that are targeted for disposal by couples who could, with passage of this bill, opt instead to donate them to science for research.
It's important to understand the differences between embryonic stem cell research and adult stem cell research. Numerous scientific studies, including a New Mexico Department of Health study completed in November 2007, state that embryos have the greatest potential to develop into a large number of tissue types or have the potential to create any body cell - a term called pluripotent - while adult stem cells are much more limited and cannot reproduce in the same manner. Other peer-review scientific studies show there are numerous breakthroughs occurring with embryonic stem cell research in animals.
I want to address the public's concern on this issue. Numerous polls have been conducted over the past three to four years, as embryonic stem cell research has become an issue of both advancing medical science and religious debate. However, these polls show that Americans, two to one, agree that embryos slated to be discarded at fertility clinics should be used to find therapies and cures. A recent poll conducted by KRQE revealed that a majority of those polled agree with SB 23.
This legislation offers researchers incentives to work and spend in New Mexico, and if stem cell research is able to realize all of its potential benefits, it would bring prolific economic benefits.
Our laboratories and technology-based industries are the life-blood of our economy and the hope for continued economic growth in years to come. The strong focus this bill would create on the life sciences would not only build our presence in America, but bring about enormous economic benefits for our state and residents.
Public investment in embryonic stem cell research is about finding new cures, first and foremost, but is also about keeping New Mexico competitive in the intellectual marketplace. It's about world-class science, world-class careers and world-class cures for what are now incurable diseases.
Studies have also examined the potential benefits that may emerge once effective stem cell therapies are discovered and implemented. This would save New Mexico considerable money in health care costs - a powerful impact on the economy, since health care costs are rising at three times the rate of inflation and are one of the factors driving inflation.
Investment in scientific research that can improve the human condition and alleviate suffering is a noble and appropriate responsibility of government. By investing in stem cell research, New Mexico has the opportunity to affirm its scientific legacy and to participate as a full partner in this worldwide work that has such promise to improve the quality of life for so many and to significantly increase jobs and economic growth in our state.
John Ryan is a Republican state senator who represents Bernalillo and Sandoval counties.
