University of Nebraska Regent Drew Miller predicts that within a few months all fetal tissue for NU Medical Center research might come from miscarriages instead of controversial elective abortions. Medical Center officials say they will try to use alternatives to elective abortions but aren't certain that miscarriages can supply enough fetal cells of acceptable quality for the research. Miller's prediction came this week as he challenged anti-abortion leaders to a public debate, accusing them of spreading lies about the research and of unjustly targeting the NU regents. Anti-abortion leaders denied they have spread any lies and said they would debate Miller if the two sides can agree on terms. Critics have said they don't object to the research, which is intended to advance knowledge about Alzheimer's disease and AIDS-related dementia. They object to the use of fetal tissue from elective abortions. Miller said he thinks there is a chance of satisfying both sides. The notion of moving entirely away from elective abortions "is entirely doable," said Miller, who is from Papillion. Someday the use of brain tissue from miscarriages could satisfy all Medical Center research needs, "and that someday could come in several months," Miller said. He said the NU Medical Center on average needs brain cells from five fetuses a month. A Medical Center spokesman said that Miller's number is low. Over the past four years, the number of fetuses the center has needed has ranged from a monthly average of six in the lowest year to nine in the highest year. Thousands of miscarriages occur each year in the region, Miller said. "Thus, even if the vast majority of miscarriages occur with women unable to get to a hospital or clinic in time, or with a defective fetus, UNMC should still be able to obtain enough tissue," he said. Dr. William Berndt, vice chancellor of the Medical Center, said the center needs to conduct studies regarding the use of fetal cells from miscarriages and other alternative sources. Until conducting the studies, the Medical Center won't know whether brain cells from the alternative sources will work as well as the cells from elective abortions, he said. The Medical Center plans to ask local hospitals for their cooperation in the search for alternative sources of tissue. Medical Center officials will determine by late January how many local hospitals will take part and the guidelines that will be followed, said Tom O'Connor, a Medical Center spokesman. NU Medical Center officials have said the potential alternate sources of fetal tissue are miscarriages, stillbirths and ectopic pregnancies. The state doesn't record the number of miscarriages that occur each year, but does tally the number of live births. About 20 percent of diagnosed pregnancies end in miscarriages, said Dr. Andrew Robertson, a maternal-fetal specialist at the Methodist Hospital Perinatal Center. By that measure, there could have been 5,800 miscarriages in Nebraska in 1998, a year in which the state recorded 23,533 live births. But the number of miscarriages that might lead to tissue donation would be fewer than the total number of miscarriages, Robertson said. Only about half of the women who miscarry require any medical attention. In the majority of instances, the fetal tissue is dead by the time a miscarriage is completed and would not be suitable for research, Robertson said. Another factor is that about 60 percent to 70 percent of miscarriages involve fetal abnormalities. Some research requires normal tissue. The NU regents and Medical Center officials have said they would prefer using alternatives to elective abortions to the extent possible. However, Miller is the first person associated with the university to express confidence that the need could be met entirely through alternatives. Two anti-abortion leaders said that if the Medical Center can obtain all its fetal tissue from miscarriages, the regents should end the Medical Center's connections with Dr. LeRoy Carhart, an abortion provider whose Bellevue clinic supplies all the fetal tissue. "If that is the case, why didn't the regents immediately sever their ties with Carhart?" asked Julie Schmit-Albin, executive director of Nebraska Right to Life, one of the three people whom Miller challenged to debate. The others are Bob Blank, head of Metro Right to Life, and Larry Donlan, director of Rescue the Heartland. The regents voted 7-0 on Dec. 11 that the fetal tissue research should continue and supported efforts to first use alternate sources of tissue. The state's two largest anti-abortion political action groups said later that they want to replace all seven regents who voted. The two groups said this week that they have candidates to oppose the three regents who plan to run for re-election in 2000. Miller, who is among those seeking re-election, said "extremists" who lead several local and national groups denounced the researchers and the regents and continued to spread false information rather than "embracing" efforts by the Medical Center and backed by the regents to develop alternate sources of fetal tissue. In a joint written response, Blank and Schmit-Albin said they "are extremely disappointed that Drew Miller would resort to name calling rather than keeping focused on the issues at hand." Further, they said, there is broad opposition - not just from the three anti-abortion groups - to the university's use of fetal tissue from elective abortions. Until the NU Medical Center cuts its ties with Carhart and stops federally funded research with fetal cells from elective abortions, "the UNMC is in alliance with abortion," Blank and Schmit-Albin said. "That is what every Catholic bishop in Nebraska and every pro-life group in Nebraska objects to." Donlan said that if Miller truly believes anti-abortion leaders have been spreading lies, he should sue them rather than simply calling for a debate. Miller said that in a debate he would "defend the proposition that keeping federally funded fetal tissue research at UNMC is in the best interest of Nebraskans and offers an opportunity to reduce the number of elective abortions performed in the United States." Miller proposes that a neutral party, such as the Nebraska Press Association, set up the debate. He also suggested that the group that moderates the debate select a panel of leading Nebraska citizens to recommend at the end of the debate whether the research should continue at the Medical Center. Miller said he also would offer Schmit-Albin, Blank and Donlan added incentive to accept his debate challenge. "If a majority of a citizens group that watches the debate votes to stop the research here, then I will withdraw from running for re-election to the Board of Regents," he said. Miller said a larger coalition of anti-abortion groups that originally objected to the research did not join with "this small group of extremists who are spreading lies, targeting regents in upcoming races and encouraging members to send letters comparing research supporters to 'Nazi doctors at Auschwitz.' " Miller listed several points of "disinformation." He said the anti-abortion forces contend that the regents or the Legislature could stop research that uses aborted fetal tissue. The truth, he said, is that if the research were stopped here, the researchers simply would move to a different university and would take their federal grants with them. Although Medical Center officials have said the research doesn't use any tissue from the controversial procedure opponents call "partial birth" abortion, anti-abortion forces continue to raise the issue, he said. There is no evidence that the research with fetal tissue encourages abortions, but anti-abortion leaders have contended that it does, he said. No payment of any kind goes for fetal tissue, but that claim still is made by anti-abortion leaders, he said.
| FORUMS | | FLASH: There are special discussion group(s) regarding this topic in the Omaha.com Forums! You can join the special discussion by selecting the special forum from the list below or click here to visit other Forums. | Nebraska Government (469 active posts)
|
|
| 
Es la visita
