Christine E. Adams is a second grade religious education student in St. John Neumann Parish, Mount Laurel, and, unlike many adults, she has a real understanding of when life begins.

She wrote all about it in her 1st Place Essay for grades k-2 in the annual diocesan Respect Life Poster, Essay and Video Contest.

In her essay, Christine explained that while she was born on Jan. 19, 1999, her life "began in 1998 inside my mom."

When she read her essay aloud at the reception that followed March 10's Witness for Life in Red Bank and Shrewsbury, explaining with great clarity her existence inside her mother's abdomen, I wondered why it is that a second grade student has no problem understanding the great chain of life, the marvelous, heavenly order of things, when so many grownups either can't or won't.

That's the same thought countless people grapple with when, for instance, politicians, pundits and money-grubbing scientists press for public funds for embryonic stem cell research which has yet to conquer any infirmity while ignoring the successes of adult stem cell research which has.

The thought surfaced again at the Catholic to the Core Diocesan Youth Conference March 11 at Georgian Court University when, sitting quietly on the sidelines, I heard a group of teenagers evangelizing one of their own on the moral inefficacy of researching with embryonic cells.

These were great moments in a wonderful weekend spent among Catholic young people. Just knowing they get it is a great relief to me. As an aging and sizeable clump of cells, I want them on my side when push comes to shove, medically speaking.

I'd like to introduce them all to Congressman Chris Smith because their insight on the gift of life is as compelling as it gets. If he needs anyone to speak out on his initiative to fully fund the national program that promotes ethical, life-saving stem cell research and treatment through the use of umbilical cord blood, they'd be just the ticket. Smith, who will be honored by the diocesan St. Thomas More Society June 16 for his consistent pro-life stance, made his case once again last week at a media event on Capitol Hill March 8. There, he called on his colleagues to fully fund the 2008 allotment of $15 million for the cord blood initiative from his 2005 bill - the "Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005." Overall, the bill authorized $265 million for umbilical cord collection and storage and reauthorized the National Bone Marrow Registry.

President Bush's fiscal 2008 budget requests only $2 million for umbilical cord blood collection and storage in 2008 as opposed to the $15 million authorized in Smith's bill.

In pressing for full funding, Smith explained: "Lives are already being saved through treatment with cord blood stem cells. To date, cord blood stem cell research and therapies have resulted in treatments for 70 diseases including Leukemia, Sickle Cell Anemia and Hurler disease. In fact, adult stem cell research, which includes cord blood, is the only stem cell research to result in medical advancements and successful treatments. We must not shortchange this life-saving program," Smith said.

In a telephone interview after that media event, the congressman spoke of the need for the full funding for a stem cell initiative that costs no lives and saves many.

"The program is created and now it's a matter of making sure the appropriations are there," he said.

Smith's law created the first national inventory to collect the needed units of blood and make them readily available. It authorized collection of 150,000 units of cord blood with a focus on genetic diversity that is expected to meet the need of 90 percent of all patients. The units will be made available through an open registry that links public cord banks nationwide to simplify a physician's search for blood matches.

This is wonderful stuff and he brought in renowned experts to explain it all including including Dr. Naynesh Kamani of the Children's National Medical Center, Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg of Duke University Medical Center and Mike Boo of the National Marrow Donor Program.

They highlighted the work being done by the National Cord Blood Institute around the country and shared their insights on the process of cord blood transplants and the formidable results.

They talked about the 70 diseases already successfully treated with cord blood transplants and how well it works for adults.

"We worked on this bill for several years and we got it passed. (President) Bush signed it and it's my belief that it will prove itself. If we can just get this cord blood out to the people who need it, the cures will follow," said the congressman.

Smith said that statistics show 30,000 people a year could benefit from cord blood and that 90 percent of the need is unmet. "That's all the more reason for a diverse pool. Our bill calls for diversity. That's what this does. It builds up a capacity network where a match can be made and be in the doctor's office the next day.

"It's extraordinary. Without a question it saves lives. Dr. Kurtzberg brought in slides of the kids who have been cured and this has been totally unappreciated. Insurance companies look at it as experimental. It's not experimental. From a cost benefit point of view, they would save money in the long run," he said.

Then he paused, and waxed rather poetic. "Bring the God part of it in - by all means, bring the God part of it in. When a baby is born - 4 million every year - God leaves behind something that turns out to be a blessing beyond words. It's always there for us to discover. Not only do you get a bouncing baby boy or girl, you get the medical miracle of cord blood."

It's up to us, he said, to work to make sure that miracle is available to everyone, so, send those letters, fax those faxes and make those phone calls to your Representatives and Senators. Send Smith a lot of cards and letters in support as well. I'm sure they'll come in handy.