Pro-life stem-cell therapy.

"A South Korean woman paralyzed for 20 years is walking again after scientists say they repaired her damaged spinal cord using stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood," reported the French AFP wire service on November 28.

The woman, 37-year-old Hwang Mi-Soon, had been confined to bed for two decades following an accident. Standing upright and walking with the assistance of a metal walking frame during a press conference, Hwang described her treatment as a "miracle," adding: "I never dreamed of getting to my feet again."

Stem cells, or "undifferentiated" cells, can be developed into various kinds of tissues. It is believed that stem-cell studies can unlock cures not only for injuries like that suffered by Hwang (as well as the late Christopher Reeve), but also degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. "Adult" stem cells are derived from several sources, including umbilical cord blood and human fat. Embryonic stem cells are cannibalized from unborn children, including abortion victims. Advocates of embryonic stem-cell experimentation insist that the benefits to be derived outweigh moral concerns over the use of human embryos--that is to say, involuntary donors.

But as the AFP report pointed out, "umbilical cord stem cells trigger little immune response in the recipient"; embryonic cells, on the other hand, "have a tendency to form tumors when injected into animals or human beings." Most importantly, the use of adult stem cells does not involve the destruction of human individuals.