Statement by NYS Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz re: National Institute of Health Funding of Destructive Embryonic Stem Cell Research

This letter is to express my strong opposition to the National Institute of Health (NIH) draft guidelines published on April 23, 2009 pursuant to Executive Order 13505 that would allow "funding for research using human embryonic stem cells that were derived from embryos created by in vitro fertilization (IVF) for reproductive purposes and were no longer needed for that purpose."

The destruction of living human persons is grossly immoral. It is unconscionable that Americans could be forced to pay taxes for federal guidelines that will be used to encourage the destruction of living embryonic human beings for stem cell research.

The suggestion that "left-over" embryos are better off dead so that their stem cells can be derived cheapens human life and the inherent dignity of every member of the human race throughout each stage of existence. We see in our society how there is no such thing as "leftover" human life. The cryogenically frozen embryos who were adopted – the "snowflake children" – are living examples of how precious all human life is.

History has taught us that there should be no time in our development as a people that we permit some human beings to use and mistreat other human beings for their own goals.

In addition to the immorality of destroying an embryonic human person, this "research" is also completely unnecessary since adult stem cells and umbilical cord stem cells are providing cures for diseases; embryonic stem cells are not.

Non-Embryonic Stem Cell Research – induced Pluripotent Stem Cells - iPS and Adult Stem Cell Research – are offering us the greatest hope of regenerative medicine without creating and destroying human life.

I urge the NIH to remove any guidelines that may cause the killing of human life, the experimentation of and killing of human embryos, and of cloning human life for research and experimentation. It is deplorable that taxpayers should fund this disastrous step toward the destruction of more human life.

For further information, please contact Ann Noonan at 646/251-6069.