STEM CELL RESEARCH & THE WTS

by Mary 4 Replies latest jw friends

  • Mary
    Mary

    I read a very interesting article on stem cell research and the possibility of it being used to cure cancer, but you'd be using your own blood. It part, it says:

    Cord blood is easily defined as blood retrieved from the umbilical cord after the birth of the child. The cord blood contains stem cells which are considered the building blocks of blood and immune systems in the body. Stem cells can also be found in the bone marrow and blood that circulates within the body. However, cord blood is the most desirable because they are the youngest and have not endured much aging or damage. If a person's blood stem cells become damaged due to diseases, cancer, or leukemia, the only hope for a cure is a blood stem cell transplant. This replaces the patient's diseased cells with healthy new stem cells. The cells that will be transplanted in must match the patient's cells to reduce the risk of Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD).

    What do you the the GB's ruling would be on this sort of treatment? Seeing as the blood hasn't "left the building", do you think they'd view this as a possible treatment that Witnesses could accept?

  • BlackSwan of Memphis
    BlackSwan of Memphis

    The general attitude of the GB for Stem Cell research is no. There was an Awake article about it about 2 or 3 years ago. Don't remember what it said. I'll try to find it if you want Mary.

  • eyeslice
    eyeslice

    I am sure it is going to be an area they will dither on.

    Eventually, as stem treatment become more common, it will become a conscience matter - just like blood fractions.

    Interestingly, this week a guy in the news was cured of diabetis through the transplant of cells from a death donor. It wasn't stem cells but getting stem cells to become insulin producing cells is a big area of research at the moment.

    Eyeslice

  • hamsterbait
    hamsterbait

    Stem cells can also be made by cloning dna from cheek lining cells. No blood involved.

    Unfortunately the word embryo is used to describe the cluster of cells produced - this presses so many hot panic buttons in the Fundo brain that further discussion is impossible.

    HB

  • Mary
    Mary

    Yes I know there's a huge controvery about using embryos for stem cell research, but if you could you your OWN tissue and/or your own blood as I mentioned above, I wonder what "Mother" would say about it, or how they could possibly twist it around so that it would mean death at the Big A if you partook in such a thing.............

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit