Stem cell research is a topic of much debate around the world and something that our spinal cord injury attorneys in San Diego are quietly optimistic about.  Unfortunately, all the facts aren’t known and some believe stem cells kill life, while others believe stem cells will save lives.

In an interesting turn of events, the Catholic Church and the Vatican have agreed to finance the study at the University of Maryland School of Medicine on the effects intestinal adult stem cells for things like spinal cord injuries.

The Vatican has agreed to support adult stem cell research.

The Catholic Church still opposes the use of embryonic stem cells because it views harvesting embryos as taking a life.  The Vatican does, however, support new forms of treatment for spinal cord injuries and therefore has decided to put two million in Euros($2.7 million) into a study that involves only adult stem cells.

In the past, adult stem cells have had a harder time being cultivated than embryonic cells and are less flexible in the effects they could have on someone who was paralyzed in a car accident, just as an example.   That said, treatment with adult stem cells could prove positive when taken directly from patients’ own bodies and then put back in due to a reduced chance of rejection by the body.

“This research protects life,” Cardinal Renato Martino stated in a gathering with Italian and American scientists and health officials, telling the group that he had “no doubt” that financing through the Vatican’s Rome hospital, Bambin Gesu, would be one step closer to finding out just what stem cells can do for the human body.

Our San Diego spinal cord injury attorneys are not taking a stand one way or another on the moral ethics concerning stem cell research, but they are all for the advancement and improvement of paralysis treatment.  Hopefully the Catholic Church’s financing will help produce more concrete results so that we will know once and for all if stem cells are the look-awaited cure for serious spinal cord injuries.

If you or someone you know has a spinal cord injury or were paralyzed, contact our bilingual San Diego law firm at 1-858-551-2090 for a FREE consultation with an experienced spinal cord injury lawyer.  You may also click here and submit your case for a FREE online review.  We work on a contingency fee basis, which means you owe us nothing until we recover a fair settlement on your behalf.