Hi, all. A family friend has a disease that has confined her to a wheel chair her whole life. Each year, she has a fundraiser to raise money for finding a cure. I just did some research on their website and found that they do embryonic stem cell research. However, there was a footnote that says donors can check a box saying do not use my funds for stem cell research. I want to support my friend and help find a cure, but I don't want to support embryonic stem cell research at all. It almost seems like just an accounting trick for separating funds. What would you do? I'd hate to start a fight within the family but I want to do the right thing.

Money is fungible, so you're correct to see that it is just an accounting trick. Imagine donating to Planned Parenthood but checking a box that says "Don't use my money for abortion"!

Do the research. Find a group that is working toward a cure for this disease that does NOT use embryonic stem cell research. If you care to give us the name of the condition, someone here may have already done that research for you.

Then, you sit down with your family member (or her parents if she is a minor) and explain what embryonic stem cell research is - I am willing to be they don't even know. Explain that you will make a donation to XYZ research instead of blah blah blah group. Ask her to consider switching her annual fundraiser to support the moral research.

The disease is SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy). Any help is appreciated. Thanks

What organization is this?

My godson has SMA.

Families of SMA. Looks like the biggest researcher of SMA cures.

http://www.fsma.org/

Wish I could find an alternative to share with the friend so they could raise funds for another organization.

Here is the bad news

http://www.all.org/charities/index/

I would suggest you contact both ALL (American Life League) and Human Life International. If they do not know who is doing moral research, they may be able to point you in the right direction. And if NO one is doing moral research, then maybe it is time to use that fund raising ability to start a foundation!