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Against the ATS Statement on Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research

The American Thoracic Society (ATS) official statement on human embryonic stem cell research (1) acknowledges the ethical debate surrounding human embryonic stem cell research. Statements IV, VI, and VII in the document address moral criteria that should apply for carrying out such research, the importance of a healthy ongoing discourse, and the need for continued efforts to establish guidelines such as those developed recently by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (2). The central ethical question is whether a 5-day-old blastocyst has the same moral and legal status as a fetus or newborn baby. This concern should be carefully considered but also balanced, in our opinions, against the needs of the millions of patients sick from diseases who may benefit from human embryonic stem cell–generated therapies. Another question is whether excess embryos that are stored in in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics, and which are destined for discarding and destruction, should or should not be used for the generation of stem cells. Most IVF clinics create many more fertilized eggs than will ultimately be implanted, knowing from the start that the majority will need to be discarded. If one finds it immoral to sacrifice embryos for generating stem cells, then one must also find it immoral to sacrifice them for treating infertility (3). There is nothing in the President's statement of August 9, 2001, that challenges the legality of human embryonic stem research in this country. The statement simply prohibits the use of federal funds for research using cells that have been generated after that date.

The letter of Drs. Thomas, Vassallo, and Castro cites the recent scientific fraud and unethical egg procurement by one laboratory in South Korea. This example of scientific fraud emphasizes the importance of careful peer review and of independent validation of findings by many laboratories. It also illustrates the danger in our own country of having relatively few laboratories—that is, the ones able to procure nonfederal funding—that are carrying out human embryonic stem cell research. The lifting of the President's ban on federal funding would increase the numbers of laboratories, avoid the problem of a "monopoly" in this area by a few investigators, and increase the likelihood that any future fraudulent publication will be challenged promptly (4). Lifting the President's ban on federal funding also would lead to adoption of a uniform rigorous set of national guidelines so as to forbid, and monitor for, practices such as unethical egg procurement.

The ATS Board of Directors adopted this official statement believing that it reflected the sentiments of the majority of ATS members. This does not invalidate the opinions of Drs. Thomas, Vassalo, and Castro, or of other ATS members with similar views, which are duly respected.

James K. Brown

University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California

Gary Ewart

ATS Advocacy Office, Washington, DC

Brigid L. M. Hogan

Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina

Judith Neubauer

UMDNJ–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey

Scott H. Randell

University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Barry Stripp

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Daniel J. Weiss

University of Vermont School of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont

FOOTNOTES

Conflict of Interest Statement: J.K.B. does not have a financial relationship with a commercial entity that has an interest in the subject of this manuscript. G.E. is a full-time employee of the American Thoracic Society. He has no financial interest in the subject matter. B.L.M.H. is on the scientific advisory board of Curis, Inc., which does not currently carry out research with human embryonic stem cells but may do so in the future. She has a patent on methods for deriving embryonic stem cell lines but has renounced any potential financial benefit for herself or her lab. J.N. does not have a financial relationship with a commercial entity that has an interest in the subject of this manuscript. S.H.R. does not have a financial relationship with a commercial entity that has an interest in the subject of this manuscript. B.S. does not have a financial relationship with a commercial entity that has an interest in the subject of this manuscript. D.J.W. does not have a financial relationship with a commercial entity that has an interest in the subject of this manuscript.

REFERENCES

1. American Thoracic Society. Human embryonic stem cell research. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2006;173:1043–1045.[Free Full Text]
2. National Research Council and Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Guidelines for human embryonic stem cell research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2005. Available from: http://www.nap.edu.
3. Sandel MJ. Embryo ethics: the moral logic of stem-cell research. N Engl J Med 2004;351:207–209.[Free Full Text]
4. Snyder EY, Loring JF. Beyond fraud: stem-cell research continues. N Engl J Med 2006;354:321–324.[Free Full Text]

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