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NJ Catholic hospitals to support adult stem cell research
By TOM HESTER Jr.
Associated Press Writer
23 May 2006
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Lawmakers who support embryonic stem cell research and Roman Catholic officials who oppose it don't often find themselves joined in agreement, but that's what they did Tuesday to promote adult stem cell research through the state's Catholic hospitals.
In what they described as a groundbreaking initiative, New Jersey's 15 Catholic hospitals have agreed to encourage umbilical cord and placenta blood donation to the state's two public cord blood banks.
Umbilical cords and placentas contain adult stem cells, not the embryonic stem cells the Catholic Church opposes being used for research.
"The ethical principles of our Catholic health care tradition demand that we step up to the plate and support and encourage this donation," said the Rev. Joseph W. Kukura, president of the Catholic Health Care Partnership of New Jersey.
The agreement was fostered by Assemblymen Neil Cohen, a leading New Jersey stem cell research advocate who supports research on embryos. Catholic groups have fiercely fought Cohen's proposals but stood with him on Tuesday.
"The differences are obvious," Cohen said. "What we're trying to do is take our commonality and address some aspect of stem cell research."
William Bolan, executive director of the New Jersey Catholic Conference that represents the state's Catholic bishops, said New Jersey's 3.6 million Catholics will frequently hear about the initiative.
"We plan to publicize our support by providing to every Catholic parish in the state an insert for the weekly parish bulletin that is distributed at every Mass," he said.
Bolan said the effort will also be featured in diocesan newspapers, while Kukura said Catholic hospitals will promote donations with expectant mothers.
"Hopefully this will become a model for the rest of the country," Kukura said.
The Rev. Tad Pacholczyk, education director at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, said he knew of no other such initiative.
"It sounds groundbreaking," he said. "It certainly seems like a wonderful initiative."
Stem cells are considered key to solving many uncurable diseases because they have the potential to develop into different cell types. New Jersey hopes to become a leading home to such research, though legislative wrangling has delayed large state investment.
Embryonic stem cells are derived from eggs fertilized in vitro and donated for research. Some believe they offer great promise because they can form cell types that might be able to cure many ailments, but the Catholic Church and others liken embryonic stem cell research to abortion because the embryo is destroyed. They support research on adult stem cells found in mature tissues and used in bone marrow transplants for decades.
"I don't care where the cure comes from, what kind of research it is," said Cohen, D-Union. "What matters is we have a cure."
Assemblyman Lou Greenwald, D-Camden, who worked with Cohen, said the goal was finding some understanding.
"We spend too much time focusing on where we disagree," said Greenwald, who authored legislation that created the cord blood banks at the Coriell Institute for Medical Research in Camden and the Elie Katz Umbilical Cord Blood Program in Paramus.
Donations to the state banks are free, with donors agreeing to let the donated cells be used for research and for others who need might need them.
Cohen said he isn't giving up on plans to promote embryonic stem cell research in the state. Last week the Senate voted 29-10 to allow the state to invest $250 million in stem cell research. It's the second time the Senate has approved the bill backed by Senate President Richard J. Codey, but it has never received Assembly consideration.
The bill would provide $150 million for a stem cell institute at Rutgers in New Brunswick, $50 million for a biomedical research facility in Camden and $50 million for an adult stem cell research facility at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark. Cohen said he wants money allocated to other research institutions.
"There has not yet been a meeting of the minds," Cohen said.
The state has invested $25.7 million in stem cell research in the last two years, mostly through grants provided through the state budgets.
Five other states have invested in stem cell research. California approved spending $3 billion, though the bond sale has been delayed by legal challenges. Connecticut intends to spend $100 million, Illinois $10 million, Maryland $15 million and Ohio $19.4 million, though only on adult stem cell research.
On Tuesday, Gov. Jon S. Corzine called for New Jersey and China to work together on stem cell research as he toured research facilities at the University of Hong Kong Medical School.
Codey, meanwhile, plans to tour a Rutgers research center on Wednesday to meet with stem cell research scientists and see what progress has been made since it received $5 million from the state in December.
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