The ads draw a clear distinction between embryonic stem cell research, which requires the destruction of human life at the embryonic stage, and adult stem cell research.
«Stem cell research is one of the most important moral issues of our day, but it is also one of the most distorted,» said Cathy Cleaver Ruse, a spokeswoman for the bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities. «In the public debate, embryo-destructive research has been greatly hyped, while the proven results of ethical adult stem cell research are very nearly ignored.»
«Our ads explain that adult stem cell research is already helping people with heart disease, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s and many other diseases. Embryonic stem cells, on the other hand, have not helped one single human patient, and they come with a hefty price tag: the deliberate destruction of human life,» Ruse said. «As our ads state: science does not have to kill in order to cure.»
The ads will appear, among other places, in USA Today and The Washington Times.
The ads can be viewed at www.usccb.org/prolife/stemcellads.htm.
