[ OUR OPINION ]
U.S. should take lead
in stem cell researchSOUTH Korean scientists have made the world's first cloned human embryos, escalating concern that creation of cloned babies may not be far away. Congress should end its stalemate and ban cloning for human reproduction. It should increase funding for cloning of human embryos for the extraction of stem cells for research and use in lifesaving treatment of numerous diseases.
THE ISSUE
Scientists in South Korea have successfully cloned a human embryo and extracted stem cells that could be used for treating illnesses.
Experiments led by Ryuzo Yanagimachi in the cloning of mice at the University of Hawaii in 1998, following the cloning of a sheep in Scotland, were among the first successes that held promise for important medical breakthroughs. In 2001, researchers from UH and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology concluded in a study that cloning for human reproduction is highly risky. But "medically, it is a very promising area," Yanagimachi said.
Weeks later, President Bush issued an executive order that stopped federal funding for research from any new lines of stem cells. The order has left U.S. research efforts underfunded, so it is not surprising that the advancement of scientific research was made elsewhere. Further U.S. abdication of such research to foreign laboratories would be shameful.
Using eggs donated by 16 women, the South Korean scientists cloned about 30 embryos and grew them to a stage where each consisted of 100 to 150 cells, at which point stem cells appear. The only previous known attempt resulted two years ago in the embryos dying after growing to about six cells.
The stem cells are important because of their unique ability to grow into a broad range of tissue types, such as skin, muscle or bone. They are genetically identical to the patient's DNA, so are not likely to be rejected by the body's immune system.
The successful experiments are not likely to result in quick medical uses. Researchers must determine that stem cell therapy that has worked on animals is effective on humans, and for particular diseases. The ailments most cited as possibly treatable with stem cell therapy are Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, bone ailments, burns, spinal cord injuries or cancer in which cells and tissue have been lost to radiation and therapy.
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Airport security plan
needs quick solutionsIF all goes well, a greater percentage of domestic air travelers will be waved aboard this summer without having to take off their shoes or be subjected to roving wands. Federal security officials will rely on computerized records to verify the identity of airline passengers, giving most a "green" rating and allowing them to be subjected to ordinary security measures. However, congressional investigators say more work is needed to make the operation smooth and effective.
THE ISSUE
A congressional report has concluded that a federal program to identify and stop potential terrorists at airports is behind schedule and has "major risks."
As described, the new system, CAPPS II, successor to the Computerized Assisted Passenger Pre-Screening System operated by the airlines, will give 96 percent of travelers the green pass, while those rated "yellow" may receive shoe checks, physical searches and other screening. Only one or two passengers in the country would be stopped from boarding or arrested.
The General Accounting Office's examination of CAPPS II concluded that more work is needed in nearly all areas. The federal Transportation Security Administration is behind schedule in testing and developing the system, posing "major risks" if some problems are left unresolved, the GAO reported.
Privacy concerns have prompted the TSA to limit the passenger information it gathers and to destroy the passenger's itinerary information soon after the trip has been completed. The rules prohibit passengers from gaining access to that information. All those factors together mean that incorrect information about the passenger will remain in the system, causing possible problems on his or her next flight.
Mohammed Ali Khan, an executive of a national Muslim-American organization, told the Star-Bulletin's editorial board last week about being held for an hour and 45 minutes at the Las Vegas airport in 2002 to undergo questioning by authorities. An FBI agent said later that Khan was detained because his name and physical description "was a close match" to a man on the TSA's "no fly" list distributed to airlines. Khan is suing the airport, Northwest Airlines, the police and the FBI, but he doesn't know if he will face humiliation again in the future.
The inability of passengers to correct the computerized data "raises concerns that inaccurate personal information will remain uncorrected and continue to be accessed by CAPPS II," the congressional investigators warned. That problem itself needs correcting.
