Why bother to seek the views of others on stem cells only to dismiss them as vested interest?

I WISH to comment on the booklet from the Irish Council on Bioethics on stem cells and Dr Stephen Sullivan’s analysis (April 25).

I support Dr Sullivan in his sympathy for those suffering from debilitating diseases, in his call for calmness in debate and in his urging the avoidance of propagating “scientifically unsubstantiated information”.

However, it is not easy to remain calm when one’s sincerely held views are sought and then dismissed on the grounds that they are from a “vested interest”. Dr Sullivan encourages advocacy groups to make their views known to the council — a waste of time, in my opinion, unless those views accord with those of the council. On the question of avoiding “scientifically unsubstantiated information”, I was taken aback by Dr Sullivan suggesting the humanity and life of the embryo are the same as for “liver transplants and all human cells”. Surely this is extreme reductionism. Implantation in utero would demonstrate the radical difference. Perhaps we can try to understand the Dr Sullivans of this world because of their genuine desire to alleviate human suffering.

However, I would like to have read his views on the reprogramming of somatic cells, a breakthrough in 2007 by Thomson (USA) and Yamanaka (Japan).

Your accompanying Q&A section was somewhat inaccurate and did not, in my opinion, truly reflect the views of many prominent scientists (eg, Ian Wilmut, who cloned Dolly the sheep) in this field.

Contrary to what you wrote, it is well known why cancers arise with these dedifferentiated cells (the reprogramming genes are introduced by retroviruses which can affect the cell’s DNA) and, according to the latest research, they are well on the way to being solved. It is also worth noting that these reprogrammed stem cells will solve the immuno-rejection problem that arises with most embryonic stem cells.

I look forward to the day when science will be able to alleviate all diseases, and also assist childless couples who long for a child, without destroying totally innocent human beings in order to do so. I would like to think most scientists would share that view.

Oliver Broderick

Montserrat House

Ashe Street

Youghal

Co Cork