In his April 13 guest viewpoint explaining his vote in support of federally funded embryonic stem cell research, Sen. Gordon Smith wrote about family members who had died of Parkinson's disease.

Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By Gayle Atteberry For The Register-Guard

In his April 13 guest viewpoint explaining his vote in support of federally funded embryonic stem cell research, Sen. Gordon Smith wrote about family members who had died of Parkinson's disease. It is painful to watch a loved one suffer from any incurable disease, including Parkinson's, diabetes and others.

However, when it comes to finding cures for these diseases, there is no need to resort to research that requires the destruction of human embryos. Adult stem cells from sources such as bone, blood, umbilical cord and amniotic fluid are proving to be highly versatile and successful in curing diseases.

The newest breakthrough for a diabetes cure is light years ahead of any possible cure through embryonic stem cell research. The April Journal of American Medical Association reports on a study from the Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit of the School of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. Thirteen out of 15 patients no longer require daily insulin shots following bone marrow stem cell transplants.

In another study, the February 2005 Journal of Neurosurgery reported significant improvements in 10 Parkinson's patients injected with a protein to stimulate brain cell growth.

In fact, more than 72 diseases have now been cured or significantly controlled with adult stem cells.

Much is said about the `potential' of embryonic stem cell research. Its track record so far is dismal, with its `potential' unrealized. After almost 10 years of research on animals, not one cure has been found, or significant progress made.

One of embryonic stem cell research's major problems is the cells' propensity to produce tumors in test animals. Recently, researchers from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine cautioned patients against being overly eager for cures because embryonic stem cell research remains in its infancy and potential treatments are many years away. They warn that the public and press have exaggerated the nearness of successful embryonic stem cell research (San Jose Mercury News, "Institute report says usable treatments are years away," Oct. 5, 2006).

This week, the Oregon Legislature is holding hearings on House Bill 2801, which creates a commission to funnel state dollars into embryonic stem cell research. Unlike the federal bill, Oregon's bill also promotes experimentation with human cloning, funded with state tax dollars.

While both embryonic stem cell research and human cloning are legal and private dollars already are being spent toward these endeavors, HB 2801 would put Oregon in the forefront of using taxpayer dollars to create human embryos for the sole purpose of killing them to harvest their stem cells.

Researchers realize there are not enough `leftover' embryos stored in in-vitro fertilization clinics for research needs, so they plan to make more embryos through the cloning process. HB 2801 creates a false distinction - that so-called `therapeutic cloning' does not create a human embryo, while `reproductive cloning' does.

Somatic cell nuclear transfer, also known as cloning, does create a live human embryo. Somatic cell nuclear transfer is the starting point for both `therapeutic' and `reproductive' cloning. The cloned embryo is allowed to grow for a few days and then is either implanted in a mother's womb (for reproductive cloning) or destroyed in order to retrieve its stem cells (for therapeutic cloning).

HB 2801 is a bad bill. Just a few years ago, after Dolly the sheep was cloned, researchers disavowed any thought of cloning humans. Now, in the Oregon Legislature, HB 2801 promotes using tax dollars for human cloning for the sole purpose of killing the embryos for their stem cells.

HB 2801 can accurately be called the `clone and kill bill.'

We all eagerly await cures for diseases that affect our loved ones. In our noble quest for cures, let us be sure that we also respect the inherent value of each human life, no matter what the size.

Gayle Atteberry of Eugene is executive director of Oregon Right to Life.