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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY
Catholic PRWire

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Catholic PRWire

October 13, 2004

The Lesson of Christopher Reeve: Life is Always Precious

Catholic Outreach joins in prayer over the tragic loss of Christopher Reeve, a talented entertainer. His life has been an example of courage, fortitude and perseverance while coping with his disability and he serves as a witness to all of us who struggle with pain and suffering. He will be missed and remembered as a hero and advocate. Our heartfelt condolences are extended to his equally courageous family and friends who traveled this journey with him over the last nine years. May they be sustained in faith and hope in these difficult days.

It is important that this loss not serve as a vehicle for the dissemination of inaccurate information about stem cell research. Embryonic stem cell research is a largely speculative project at this time, notwithstanding massive publicity efforts which attempt to portray the project as a nearly sure bet. Further, and most importantly, embryonic stem cell research requires the destruction of embryonic humans at their earliest and most vulnerable stages.

One of the great tragedies of Christopher Reeve's disability is that throughout his struggle, he was led to believe that he could expect a cure using embryonic stem cells. Christopher Reeve was not benefiting in any way from embryonic stem cells during the course of his treatments and therapies. Thousands of people have been cured of diseases using adult stem cells, which pose no threat to human life. No person has been cured or even close to being cured using stem cells derived from destroyed embryos, in essence an aborted child.

To date, several persons with paralysis, like Christopher Reeve, have received successful treatment through therapies using adult stem cells. One 18 year old paraplegic from a car accident has received special cells from the olfactory tissue of her own nose to treat her condition. She is beginning to recover significant movement in her formerly completely paralyzed legs. Catholic Outreach anxiously wants you to know these facts. Knowing and understanding the facts will lead to more successful cures in the future because time, money and research will be appropriately channeled and not misdirected. In the coming days and weeks, you will undoubtedly engage in conversations about this very topic. You must know the facts.

Father Tad Pacholczyk of the National Catholic Bioethics Center breaks open the subject of stem cell research and human cloning in our book, The Five Issues That Matter Most. As an expert neuroscientist and bioethicist, he cuts through the media-driven distortions and presents the scientific and spiritual truths that every Catholic American should understand.

The tragic and sudden death of Christopher Reeve teaches us the foundational truth which forms the basis of our objection to destructive embryonic stem cell research -- that life is always precious. Learn the truth, get the facts and make the case for ethical stem cell research.

Questions for Fr. Tad

- What is the difference between embryonic and adult stem cells?

- Could Christopher Reeve have been cured using embryonic stem cells?

- How many people have been treated and/or cured using adult stem cell therapies?

- Why are adult stem cells preferable to embryonic stem cells?

Credentials: Father Tad Pacholczyk is a neuroscientist and bioethicist. He is the Director of Education for the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia.

Availability: Philadelphia and nationwide via telephone

Contact: Lisa Wheeler 770.509.0531
lisaw@catholicoutreach.com
www.catholicoutreach.com

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