Cord Blood Appeal High with Catholic Doctors

The medical potential of stem cell research may be substantial, but its progress is hindered by religious exceptions to the creation and use of embryonic cells. Some physicians maintain that umbilical cord blood may provide a way to avoid ethical concerns while still making substantial headway in the treatment of a variety of diseases.

The Catholic Explorer recently ran a piece that illustrates this perspective clearly. Catholic doctors are rallying behind umbilical cord blood research because it provides a great scientific opportunity while avoiding risk of running afoul of religious perspectives that consider embryonic stem cell work as a violation of the sanctity of life.

Excerpt:

"Cord blood has opened the door to curing patients who otherwise would die," Dr. Patrick Stiff, director of Loyola's Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, told the Catholic Explorer. "We actually have transplanted patients in whom the only other option was a hospice program."

The use of cord-blood stem cells does not involve the destruction of embryos, and the Catholic Church supports their use. They are taken from an umbilical cord after birth and used to treat cancers originating in bone marrow or in the lymphatic system when a traditional bone-marrow transplant is not an option."