March 28, 2024

Chinese achieve “miracle cures” with aborted foetuses

Americans suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease are travelling to Beijing to seek treatment with nasal stem cells from aborted foetuses. Dr Huang Hongyun injects cells harvested from foetuses into affected parts of the spine or brain. Amazingly, there is often an instant improvement. Wheelchair-bound patients have stood up and recovered their speech. Unfortunately the miraculous results are often short-lived and patients lapse back into paralysis. Western doctors are familiar with Dr Huang’s therapy and describe it as unethical. He uses foetuses aborted under China’s notorious one-child policy; his record-keeping and follow-up is poor; and he does not conduct clinical trials. Dr John Kessler, an American neurologist who works on spinal cord injury, says “I have no reason to believe that he is offering anything but snake oil. I am sad and ashamed that people with no hope are being offered faith healers’ promises by a medical professional.”

The Chinese Government, however, hails Dr Huang as a world-class scientist. According to the London Telegraph, the government encourages its doctors to perform experiments which are banned elsewhere and sees its lax ethical controls as a competitive advantage. Dr Huang dismisses criticism of his work. “We have many aborted foetuses for our operations,” he says, “and if we don’t use it we throw it away. It is waste.” Nor is he concerned about clinical trials. “It is nonsense to say that I should hold up my work to conduct trials. This is surgery, not a drug. It does not need testing; it has a benefit.”