Fact Check: Adult stem cell research not opposed by church

Religious groups have concerns that the ALS Association, which has been the recipient of millions of dollars in donations through its ice bucket challenge, supports embryonic stem cell research.

The facts: The ALS Association which fights amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrigs Disease primarily is involved with adult stem cell research, which the Catholic Church does not oppose, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The bishops statement on stem cells states that the use of adult stem cells and umbilical-cord blood have been shown to offer a better way to produce cells that can benefit patients.

There is no moral objection to research and therapy of this kind, when it involves no harm to human beings at any stage of development and is conducted with appropriate informed consent, the statement says. Catholic foundations and medical centers have been, and will continue to be, among the leading supporters of ethically responsible advances in the medical use of adult stem cells.

The ALS Association said it does, however, fund one study that uses embryonic stem cell research with money provided by one specific donor who is committed to this area of research, the Record reported.

The association added that donors could designate that they do not want their embryos used to fund any stem cell research.

Most embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos that develop from eggs that have been fertilized in vitro and then donated for research with the consent of the donors, according to the National Institutes of Health. They are not derived from eggs fertilized in a womans body.

After a couple completes the in vitro process, they either continue to freeze the leftover embryos or allow them to thaw, which destroys the cells. In some states, couples do have the choice to donate the embryos to research or to adoptive families, TruthOrFiction.com notes.

Embryonic stem cell research does not appear to rank as a major issue for most Catholics, according to a 2013 survey by the Pew Researchs Religion and Public Life Project. In the survey, 72 percent of Catholics said embryonic stem cell research was not a moral issue or was morally acceptable.

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Fact Check: Adult stem cell research not opposed by church