The summer of 2014 brought an increase of awareness about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, through the Ice Bucket Challenge. It has raised millions of dollars for this cause.
The challenge involves people getting doused with buckets of ice water on video, posting that video to social media, then nominating others to do the same. People can either accept the challenge or make a donation to an ALS charity of their choice, or do both.
This very creative social media phenomenon is back again this year with Ice Bucket Challenge 2015. I recommend participating in the Ice Bucket Challenge, but only if the funds are sent to organizations that do not support embryonic stem cell research.
The ALS Association uses human embryonic stem cells in its ALS research and advocates for human embryonic stem cell research. Human embryonic stem cell research involves obtaining stem cells from a living human embryo. This is immoral, because it causes the death of an innocent human being.
If you are going to participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge, please send the funds to an agency that does not support embryonic stem cell research. One such agency is the John Paul II Medical Research Institute in Iowa City, Iowa. They were founded to offer an ethical alternative to the pervasive secular promotion of embryonic stem cell research. They are highly endorsed by their local Catholic bishop, Most Rev. Martin Amos.
The John Paul II Medical Research Institute focuses on using ethically obtained, non-embryonic adult stem cells to develop regenerative medicine that will treat patients with chronic diseases, such as ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Cancer. They generate Induced Pluripotent Stem cells, which have the medical advantages of embryonic stem cells without destroying any embryos.
You may contribute to the John Paul II Medical Research Institute through their website at
www.jp2mri.org or by sending a check to them at:
John Paul II Medical Research Institute
540 E. Jefferson St.
Suite 202
Iowa City, IA 52245
Telephone: 319-688-7367