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Obama to reverse limits on stem cell work

This is extremely exciting news. I hope this actually gets done and they can make some serious progress with this.

;)
 
I support stem cell research but I would also like to see more advocacy for prevention of disease. One major use of stem cells is in cancer treatment, but cancer can be prevented by limiting environmental agents that are harming people daily. The entire system is constructed to continue its abuse of human health while looking for "cures".

Another cure is to stop exposing people to agents which cause cancer, alzheimers, parkison's, etc.
 
XXXXXXX, by Delegate Bob Marshall

Nowhere in any of the White House documents authorizing the moral travesty of experimentation on human embryos, does President Obama acknowledge that the research he wants to fund with tax monies involves the intentional death of newly created human beings.

Our 44th president, Barrack Obama, skips over this point of “creation.” His inaugural speech, referred to the “God-given promise that all are equal.” But our 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson, said, “all men are created equal.” Is this distinction above Obama’s pay grade?

Failure to acknowledge a man’s creation, means ignoring “inalienable rights endowed by our Creator.” How convenient!.

Mr. Obama accuses human experimentation opponents of ideological bias and politics. Yet American taxpayers will be forced to fund lethal research which provides NO cures, therapies, or clinical benefits!

Until now, the FDA had never approved embryo stem cell therapy because it promotes tumors and growth of wrong organs. Adult stem cell therapy works and has no ethical controversies.

Nature magazine reported last summer that Harvard scientists turned one type of adult cell directly into another type of adult cell which produces the specialized pancreative beta cells that secrete insulin. This new technique eliminates any scientific justification for using embryonic humans for research.

Apparently, Mr. Obama thinks he can improve the created order.

For three years (2005-07) I chaired the Virginia General Assembly Stem Cell Study. Members served from all persuasions on the issue. We had extensive and thorough public hearings with experts in medical, research, scientific and ethical fields.

The father of American embryo stem cell research, Dr. John Gearhart of John Hopkins University, told our Committee that transplanted embryo stem cells develop tumors and other problems. For these reasons, we unanimously concluded that Virginia should only support adult stem cell research. I believe Virginia is the only state which adopted its policy AFTER a thorough and impartial inquiry.

President Obama has crossed a moral fault line in the created Universe. He should reflect that while God always forgives, and man sometimes forgives, Nature never forgives and is a stern taskmaster.
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From an email I receive from a state representative.
 
Orius said:
I support stem cell research but I would also like to see more advocacy for prevention of disease. One major use of stem cells is in cancer treatment, but cancer can be prevented by limiting environmental agents that are harming people daily. The entire system is constructed to continue its abuse of human health while looking for "cures".

Another cure is to stop exposing people to agents which cause cancer, alzheimers, parkison's, etc.
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I'm intrigued.

What are some specific agents that you are referring to?
 
American said:

From an email I receive from a state representative.
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Questionable. Most people don't seem to realize that embryonic stem cell research is done on otherwise discard invitro embryos. The same embryos that would be donated to universities or incinerated as biowaste. Either way, the embryos are doomed. Stem cell research is taking cells that would normally be doomed anyway and using them for a productive purpose. The notion that embryonic stem cell research is going to lead to creation of embryos just for destruction is insane, likely dishonest and downright false. For years fertility clinics destroyed hundreds of thousands of embryos without peep from the critics of embryonic stem cell research. And rarely do you see any of them calling for the shut down of invitro fertilization.

Either they are ignorant or hypocrites.
 
Furthermore, the embryos that are discarded are discarded for a reason. Often they carry genes for hereditary diseases, have genetic damage or some other significant problem that removes them from being selected for implantation. We don't want to save those embryos. If we did, we'd simply be propagating hereditary diseases and genetic defects.

It seems like a simple decision. Use embryos that are not only inferior in genetics harboring diseases and defects, but are doomed anyways to aid research to save potentially millions from all sorts of horrible afflictions.
 
After eight years of Bush Obama's stance on science is enough that I doubt I'd ever be in the 'disapprove' category of approval ratings. This move has been a long time coming and I'm glad that Obama is working to reverse the anti-science attitude that has characterized the White House lately. America should always be at the forefront of science, and I think that America's relative absence in stem cell research for nearly a decade has put a real damper on medical progress. I applaud Obama for reversing the ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research

Change we can believe in indeed! :clap:
 
Kernel Sanders said:
After eight years of Bush Obama's stance on science is enough that I doubt I'd ever be in the 'disapprove' category of approval ratings. This move has been a long time coming and I'm glad that Obama is working to reverse the anti-science attitude that has characterized the White House lately. America should always be at the forefront of science, and I think that America's relative absence in stem cell research for nearly a decade has put a real damper on medical progress. I applaud Obama for reversing the ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research

Change we can believe in indeed! :clap:
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This is one of the few things I'm impressed with about the current administration. The past administration essentially viewed science as a tool to kill terrorists and nothing more. If it wasn't battlefield related, it really wasn't supported by the administration.

And it is painfully obvious that our economy is going to be knowledge based. Without a strong foundation in the sciences, we will become a third world nation.

But we have a long way to catch the world in biosciences and renewable energy.
 
obvious Child said:
Questionable. Most people don't seem to realize that embryonic stem cell research is done on otherwise discard invitro embryos. The same embryos that would be donated to universities or incinerated as biowaste. Either way, the embryos are doomed. Stem cell research is taking cells that would normally be doomed anyway and using them for a productive purpose. The notion that embryonic stem cell research is going to lead to creation of embryos just for destruction is insane, likely dishonest and downright false. For years fertility clinics destroyed hundreds of thousands of embryos without peep from the critics of embryonic stem cell research. And rarely do you see any of them calling for the shut down of invitro fertilization.

Either they are ignorant or hypocrites.
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Or it could be you. What makes you more of an expert than Johns Hopkins?
 
American said:
Or it could be you. What makes you more of an expert than Johns Hopkins?
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Learn context. I was talking about the argument against stem cells from the save the life argument. Dr. John Gearhart however, was arguing that embryonic stem cells produce abnormal growths that appear to be detrimental. And based on some events, he does have a factual foundation. However, that does not equate to an ironclad case to stop. Every major breakthrough from rocket science to medical surgeries has come with its share of unexpected consequences. We often find ways around them. Just because we have found what appears in some cases to be long term potential problems does not mean we abandon everything. Dr. John Gearhart was not discussing the argument against stem cells from the pro-life crowd.
 
Unfortunately your side never praises adult stem cell research, but argues that nothing is gained without embryonic stem cells. That's why I'm skeptical, it appears very political and not in the interest of the best medicine or in the preservation of life. People are fighting animal testing, but not embryonic stem cell research.
 
American said:
Unfortunately your side never praises adult stem cell research, but argues that nothing is gained without embryonic stem cells.
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My side? Assume much don't you?

Where has anyone argued against adult stem cells?

And furthermore, explain to me the benefits of reducing one's options in terms of medical breakthroughs.

it appears very political and not in the interest of the best medicine or in the preservation of life.
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Rich coming from a supporter of the administration who saw science as nothing more then new ways to kill people.
 
I didn't say they argued against it, I said you don't hear praises. Nor do you ever hear about gains made without embryonic cells.
 
I am in favor of supporting stem cell research.

I am by no means in favor of the President being able to do this just by signing his name, bypassing Congress and the Constitution itself.
 
obvious Child said:
Furthermore, the embryos that are discarded are discarded for a reason. Often they carry genes for hereditary diseases, have genetic damage or some other significant problem that removes them from being selected for implantation. We don't want to save those embryos. If we did, we'd simply be propagating hereditary diseases and genetic defects.

It seems like a simple decision. Use embryos that are not only inferior in genetics harboring diseases and defects, but are doomed anyways to aid research to save potentially millions from all sorts of horrible afflictions.
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Why? Jesus would cure them. :mrgreen:
 
Dav said:
I am in favor of supporting stem cell research.

I am by no means in favor of the President being able to do this just by signing his name, bypassing Congress and the Constitution itself.
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And why not? Bush did the exact same thing - Bypassed congress and the constitution to outlaw it. Was that not OK either?
 
American said:
I didn't say they argued against it, I said you don't hear praises. Nor do you ever hear about gains made without embryonic cells.
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I don't know your interests, but I would venture a guess that you primarily frequent politically oriented sites. DP is pretty much all the politics I do, and I frequent tech/science sites primarily. From a tech perspective I can say that you are absolutely wrong. There has been much fanfare about a couple of papers describing methods of inducing adult cells to act as stem cells that were released in mid-February. This is not a political issue, however, so it is unlikely that it got much play time on political blogs (or in the MSM for that matter). Advances of all types are praised, but it's only when politics gets in the way of science that the discussion gets as high profile as embryonic stem cells tend to be.
 
I don't think I've ever seen an issue that is so misunderstood (or intentionally misrepresented) as the issue of stem cell research, except perhaps the Bush policy on stem cell research.

:roll:
 
obvious Child said:
Questionable. Most people don't seem to realize that embryonic stem cell research is done on otherwise discard invitro embryos. The same embryos that would be donated to universities or incinerated as biowaste. Either way, the embryos are doomed. Stem cell research is taking cells that would normally be doomed anyway and using them for a productive purpose. The notion that embryonic stem cell research is going to lead to creation of embryos just for destruction is insane, likely dishonest and downright false. For years fertility clinics destroyed hundreds of thousands of embryos without peep from the critics of embryonic stem cell research. And rarely do you see any of them calling for the shut down of invitro fertilization.

Either they are ignorant or hypocrites.
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I'm quiet sure they are both
 
obvious Child said:
Questionable. Most people don't seem to realize that embryonic stem cell research is done on otherwise discard invitro embryos. The same embryos that would be donated to universities or incinerated as biowaste. Either way, the embryos are doomed. Stem cell research is taking cells that would normally be doomed anyway and using them for a productive purpose. The notion that embryonic stem cell research is going to lead to creation of embryos just for destruction is insane, likely dishonest and downright false. For years fertility clinics destroyed hundreds of thousands of embryos without peep from the critics of embryonic stem cell research. And rarely do you see any of them calling for the shut down of invitro fertilization.

Either they are ignorant or hypocrites.
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So in the bigger picture, does one see a new market for creating these embryos? How do you feel about creating embryos for profit?


The only thing that changed is Obama is allowing government to fund the research..

More non-stimulus spending in a recession. Great! :roll:
 
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