Senator's lack of knowledge is upsetting

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski should not spurn stem-cell researchI'd like to tell you about Hugo, a precious 4-year-old who loves skiing and swimming and a year ago was diagnosed with diabetes. This places him at risk for amputation, blindness, kidney, nerve, and heart disease. I've been a physician for 15 years and taught in medical school until returning to Alaska a few years ago. But Hugo's not my patient. He's my son.

Five times a day, we prick his finger, draw blood, and check his blood-sugar level. Hugo never cries or complains. He's an active kid who swims, plays, and rides a bike. For now, he's still on training wheels. There is a bright medical hope for Hugo: stem-cell medicine. But unfortunately, when it comes to stem-cell research, Sen. Lisa Murkowski needs to leave her political training wheels behind and take a risk.

Murkowski has put the election-year wants of the far right ahead of honest science and the everyday needs of millions of Americans -- like my son. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan put party politics aside and urged U.S. senators from both sides of the aisle to write a letter urging President Bush to repeal his near-ban of federal medical research on stem cells. Fifty-eight U.S. senators signed the letter, including Sen. Ted Stevens, but Sen. Murkowski refused to sign the letter.

Here's how stem cells work: In a laboratory, a human egg is fertilized. Five days later, the egg has grown into a blastocyst -- a tiny dot of tissue holding about 30 stem cells, which are literally the building blocks of all major organs. Your heart, your liver and even your brain all grew from stem cells. Those 30 are removed and used to grow more. Scientists are learning how to make stem cells grow into all kinds of healthy cells -- heart, liver, brain, etc. -- to replace damaged ones.

It is unfortunate that the extremists have distorted the issue for political gain and that Murkowski's view is at odds with good science and the political leaders here in Alaska that support it. Sen. Stevens, Rep. Don Young and former Gov. Tony Knowles all support stem-cell research.

Sen. Murkowski says that she didn't sign the letter because she didn't have enough information about the issue to make an educated decision about stem-cell research.

How is it that in January 2003 Sen. Murkowski felt educated enough to co-sponsor S. 245 (a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to prohibit human cloning), which deals with similar issues, but after an additional 19 months in office she feels unqualified to render an opinion on stem-cell research? Is she admitting she didn't know what she was doing on S. 245? Or is she just dodging a decision on stem-cell research to pander to the right?

As a physician, I find that ignorant and dishonest. As Hugo's father, I find it disgraceful and heartbreaking. Unmentioned are thousands of blastocysts grown and destroyed every day in fertility labs, which store fertilized eggs for clients trying to achieve pregnancy. Once successful, leftovers are destroyed. Using appropriate, ethical safeguards, this tissue can potentially be used to treat or cure dozens of diseases. Shouldn't our elected officials encourage that?

Sen. Murkowski, you accepted this job because you wanted to help people. Please join our peers and support stem-cell research -- for my son Hugo, for my heart patients, and for those of us in Alaska with family members who suffer every day.

Steve Compton lives in Anchorage.