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 Shrub, Molly Ivins |
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 Back to Bush |
 Back to Society. |
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"Because Senator Brownback has introduced a Senate version of the House bill I wish to
comment on some of his public statements. He has characterized embryonic stem cell
research as “immoral and unnecessary.” But in testimony before the Harkin/Specter
Subcommittee on January 24th he stated that he supports in vitro fertilization clinics. When
Senator Harkin asked if he was aware that the majority of excess fertilized embryos are
routinely thrown into the garbage his response was “ I think most of them are put up for
adoption”. That is simply not true. In a recent interview Senator Brownback said that he
wants to cure A.L.S. and added “if we pursue the adult stem cell area where we all agree
that we can do this,…. that it’s the right thing to do.” Again, that is not true. Experts in
A.L.S. research believe that embryonic stem cells are the best and possibly the only hope
for victims of that fatal condition.
Today 100 million Americans suffer from serious or currently incurable diseases. 54 million
Americans are disabled. Our government is supposed to do the greatest good for the
greatest number of people; beyond that we have a moral responsibility to help others. Time
is absolutely critical. If the government forces scientists to attempt to make adult stem
cells behave like embryonic stem cells, they might waste 5 years or more and fail. In the
meantime, hundreds of thousands will have died.
Why do we need therapeutic cloning? As a layman several important reasons come to
mind. One: implantation of human ES cells is not safe unless they contain the patient’s
own DNA. Two: Efforts to repair central nervous system disorders may need to recapitulate
the process of fetal development. That can only be accomplished by human ES cells.
Three: Therapeutic cloning is done without fertilizing an egg. It can be strictly regulated. If
we also enforce an absolute ban on reproductive cloning, we will not slide down the dreaded
“slippery slope” into moral and ethical chaos.
Any powerful new technology comes with the potential for abuse. But when we decide that
the benefit to society is worth the risk, we take every possible precaution and go forward.
The unfertilized eggs that will be used for nucleus transplantation (aka therapeutic cloning)
will never leave the laboratory and will never be implanted in a womb. But if we don’t make
this research legal, if we don’t use government funding and oversight, it will happen
privately, dangerously unregulated and uncontrolled.
Our country is about to lose its preeminence in science and medicine. We took a giant
step backwards in the 1970’s when the NIH was not allowed to fund in vitro research until
an advisory commission could be formed to consider the issue. In the meantime there was
rapid progress in England and the first “test tube baby” was born in 1978. For purely
political reasons we did not succeed until 1981. Now IV clinics are commonplace; so far
177,000 children have been conceived in 400 facilities around the country.
Today human trials to defeat Parkinson’s are underway in Sweden. In Israel macrophages,
scavenger cells that eat debris in the body, are being used to repair the damaged spinal
cord within two weeks of injury. The first human subject was a 19 year-old girl from
Colorado. Last week the House of Lords in the U.K. passed legislation permitting research
on cloned human embryos for the second time.
Those are not rogue nations behaving irresponsibly. They are allies, no less moral than we
are. If we act now, we still have a chance to catch up. I urge the Senate to defeat Senator
Brownback’s bill S.1899 and pass S.1758.
Thank you very much." -- Christopher Reeve.
Well guess what folks? If there is any body left who would like to chirp about his stem cell decree, guess again jelly bean. An American president has virtually done the right thing in this instance as completely and as cleverly as circumstances would permit. One might say that he did the right thing with the wrong attitude or possibly for the wrong reasons. Why not just own up to the fact that biomedical technology is headed smack dab through Stem Cell City on its way to the future of medicine? One might say that he pandered to big pharmaceutical manufacturers. They, after all, are in posession of the 60 or so main cell lines. Well for one, you'd hear that from the same old big corporation bashers and their lame tunes get boring after a while. More importantly, though, according to the op-ed from the Washington Post which came out the day after President Bush's announcement, he has worked a sneaky loophole into the fine print through which some of the little guys might be able to drive the proverbial Mac truck. The bottom line is that there may finally be cures for those who need them. And there are exciting possibilities for future biomedical advances. A lot will depend on Tommy Thompson.
On the face of it, the presidential bomb squad led by Mr. Bush, has totally-otally defused this stem cell thing without any significant faux pas. The fealty of his supporters remains intact. His detractors not only have nothing about which to gripe, they may have some bonus jellybeans on which to munch. The issue of stem cell research grants from the government has been relegated to the status of a non-issue. It has all the excitement potential of a bowl of cold oatmeal and soggy toast.
If there is anybody who just has to find fault with President Bush, stem cells are the wrong tree up which to bark. Guess what McDuff? You're going to have to look for some other muck to rake. Because ...
The Scientist Online: |
How much muck would a muck raker rake if a muck
raker could rake muck?
That dog just won't hunt.
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Related topic: The-Scientist.com, The State of Gene Therapy: "In 1990, three men-W. French Anderson, R. Michael Blaese, and Kenneth Culver-led a trial in which the genetically corrected adenosine deaminase (ADA) T cells, belonging to a 4-year-old girl, were returned to her. Today, the 16-year-old teenager is alive and well." "
It took another decade or so for any
accomplishments as dramatic as that first trial to be
reported, due in part to a relatively empty toolkit. In
April, following a trial of gene therapy that occurred
two years prior, French researchers announced that
the immune systems of several children severely
affected with X-linked severe combined
immunodeficiency (SCID) were nearly normal, and
that no supplementary therapies were involved. Other, less headline-grabbing
reports also occurred, including work on curing fatal congenital diseases, reversing
infertility in mice, treating patients with hemophilia, and combining different
therapies with gene therapy." |
 Matt WuerkerTM |
 Matt WuerkerTM Funny stuff is also at: Whitehouse.org |
 | Scientists dissatisfied over Tommy Thompson's intended imposition of a RWCR agenda. Power play, muscles in, -- strong language for Nature journal. |
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The Rise of the American Police State: Take the Homeland Security Quiz
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washingtonmonthly.com/mt/mt-comments.cgi?entry_id=4057 Both the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family spout these "pro-life" and anti-abortion slogans as if they get iron-clad evidence from that most horrid book, the Bible.
Let us quickly look at their hypocrisy:
Truely conservative christianity is a perverted theology, full of doctrines worthy of Satan. I think one of the great moral debacles in America is that well meaning people have left the churches and evil feeble minded people have taken over the mantle of Religion. We thought the church could take care of itself but we didn't count on these servants of Satan hiding in the houses of God.
Time to take God back from his kidnappers. |
