Pro-life ethicists call Reagan's speech deceptive, dangerous

[Charlie Brown]

http://www.sbc.net/redirect.asp?url=http://www.bpnews.net

“We’ve heard these arguments about unfettering medical research from any moral and ethical guidelines in the past, when moral qualms have been labeled as ignorance,” said Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. “What such arguments produced were the technologically advanced and morally corrupt laboratories of the Third Reich.

[tandot]

1. Oh, please. He was talking about cells that will be discarded or "aborted"

anyway. These cells are created by in-vitro fertilization. After many cells (or embryos) are created in a petri dish and some of them are implanted into the mother, the remaining unused cells are either frozen or thrown away (or aborted, if you like this term better).

If Bush claims that life starts at conception and he claims to be against abortion, he should immediately announce that in-vitro fertilization is against his beliefs and that it should be prohibited. Hundreds of thousands of "embryos" are aborted (discarded) or "die" during the freezing process..

http://www.religioustolerance.org/res_stem2.htm

I actually would love for Bush to take on all those couples who are desperately trying to get pregnant.

What is the problem??? Throwing cells (embryos) into the trash or using them to help people (children or people we love) survive diseases?

[Chovexani]

2. Oh STFU Ricky

That's the same SOB who was trying to convert Hindus and Muslims during their high holy days and said women are beneath their husbands. He needs to STFU.

The SBC jumped the shark a long time ago.

[Doctor_J]

3. pro-life ethicist?

what's that?

[Chovexani]

4. Religiously insane assclown.

At least in Lil' Ricky's case.

[Branjor]

5. Scientists, I have a question.....

Why are embryonic stem cells even necessary for stem cell research? I thought stem cells could be easily obtained from cord blood of the newborn.

[DemBones DemBones]

6. They can, and stem cell research is being promoted

as a miracle cure that it will probably never become. It's a wedge issue, being used to divide people.

[Warren DeMontague]

10. Right, so there's no point in doing "research"

when the folks who think Dinosaur Bones are 2,000 years old and the Earth is Flat have already come to the educated conclusion that there's no potential there.

You know, if you had a severely disabled relative, like I do, who might benefit from this "miracle cure", you might not be so blase about ditching the potential for this research before it's been allowed to be fully pursued, particularly for the sake of some clumps of cells that fundamentalist maniacs have deemed "babies".

And, no, stem cells obtained from other sources are not of the same quality or potential.

And, the stem cells in question a) do not have the potential to develop into a separate human being (since, as someone noted, they are pluripotent- but not totipotent) and, b) are no different than what is thrown away from thousands of petri dishes as a result of In Vitro Fertilization.

Of course, if you sign on to the jihad that equates a fertilized egg with a "baby", then you need to criminalize IVF, and the birth control pill as well... But don't worry, Re-Elect El Shrubbo, and that's coming too.

[BillZBubb]

16. And you know stem cell research will fall short HOW?

You are WRONG! There are some technical difficulties, but once overcome, we will see some truly amazing results. The only problem with Reagan's presentation was that he wasn't clear on the time frame. This research will take time to bear fruit, but bear fruit it will.

[Donkeyboy75]

8. They could be necessary.

They are necessary because 1) they are pluripotent, which basically means they can potentially become any type of cell in the body and 2) they are easier to culture than adult stem cells. It's still a young field, and nobody knows too much about it.

There are some recent reports suggesting stem cells could be manipulated as a cure for Type 1 diabetes, but the report is less than a year old, and there is a lot of controversy about the findings.

[tandot]

11. those cells from the cord are ADULT stem cells not embryonic.

Both have their uses and scientists don't yet understand which is better for treating what disease more successfully. Why not use the embryonic cells created in petri dishes instead just throwing them away? Why not help dying and sick children and adults overcome their diseases?

What is more Christian: Throwing those cells (embryos) away or using them to save human life???

on edit: Here is a link for people who are interested in more than just right-wing talking points:

http://www.marrow.org/MEDICAL/sources_of_stem_cells.html

Why don't you do some research yourself?

[BillZBubb]

15. Those stem cells already have the DNA of the newborn.

They can't be used by anyone else for that reason. They would be rejected by the body of anyone else as foreign.

You have to create stem cells with the DNA of the recipient. The only truly effective way, so far, is to use embryonic cells. The nucleus and it's DNA is removed. The DNA of the recipient is added. As the resulting embryonic cell goes through it's rapid division process, it generates lots and lots of new stem cells with the correct DNA to match the recipient. Voila, they can be implanted without rejection.

[SarahB]

7. Probably the same people wouldn't object to the Tuskegee experiments.

I'd bet on it.

[neoteric lefty]

9. Ethicist, tell me how a cluster of cells is the same as a human being

thats all I ask. Show me how a cluster of cells can feel pain. Until then, let us show you millions of people in the world suffering daily. He is trying to hide a moral argument under the cloak of an ethical one.

[Walt Starr]

12. Oh calm down, have a wedgy!

[BeFree]

13. Don't know much about this issue

But if it can be developed as Ron says, seems it has the potential to put a hurting on big pharma. Could that be why there is such opposition?

OTOH... mechanically altering human life using technology may be the anti-christ.

OTOH..Easing dis-ease from folks, can't be all bad, eh?

[BiggJawn]

14. "in the past"...Like the 1400's? 1500's?

When they used to burrn people at the stake and lock them up for saying shit like "The earth orbits the Sun"?

Read Carl Sagan's "The Demon-Haunted World"
Make your kids read it, too.