Branson to found bank for umbilical cord stem cells

Action please: letters to The Times about their reporting: david.robertson@thetimes.co.uk, copied to support@virgin.net

Branson's initiative is good news. Advances in the understanding of stem cells have made it increasingly clear that the destruction of embryos is entirely unnecessary to get stem cells useful for research and medical uses. One of the best-known of these is the umbilical-cord blood of new-born babies.

What is not so welcome is the reporting in The Times that includes the sentence: 'Some anti-abortion groups believe that any use of stem cells will lead to human cloning.' This is simply a smear against the Pro-Life movement, and has absolutely no basis in fact. Pro-Life groups tend to have a much better grasp of the distinctions at issue than their opponents, let alone journalists! See Comment on Reproductive Ethics report.

From: Jana Tutkova
To: david.robertson@thetimes.co.uk
Cc: support@virgin.net
Sent: Thursday, 1 February, 2007 8:36:15 PM
Subject: Richard Branson's investment into adult stem cells


Dear Mr Robertson

I was very much pleased to learn from your article last Friday about Richard
Branson's today's launch of cord blood stem cell bank. However, I was shocked
by your twisted comment: "Some anti-abortion groups believe that any use of
stem cells will lead to human cloning"

No prolife group has ever claimed that but exactly on the contrary, prolife
groups have been very actively promoting the use of adult stem-cells in
particular from umbilical cord-blood.

I would like to ask you to correct your mistake for it's causing harm first of
all to your newspapers for spreading such a deception. Furthermore it's
defamatory to the citizens who demand legal protection of human life since
conception (as science proves that embryo is a separate human being with
her/his own genetic makeup) and therefore very much have been endorsing
life-saving adult stem cell therapies.

Please see www.ehd.org which is featuring the newest DVD of National Geographics
on prenatal development of baby. I suggest that you look up the website
www.stemcellresearch.org which is listing number of conditions that can be
treated with adult stem cells - more than 70 - while none by embryonic stem
cells! No wonder Sir Branson's investment is not only ethically smart but will
make also profit.

The fact that he is choosing to invest in adult stem cells is another
significant indicator that any future therapies from embryonic stem cells are
only an illusion since private investors are not prepared to back it. No wonder
that fame-seeking scientists have to lobby for public funding to finance their
research which as well-intentioned as it might be does not respect human
dignity (in case of human-animal hybrids cloning for ESC), women's dignity (in
case of human cloning for ESC) and human life (in case in embryo research for
ESC).

I wish that this email would be passed on Sir Branson who deserves to learn that
all prolife-minded people very much welcome his intiative.

Best wishes in your truth-seeking profession,

Jana Tutkova