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U.S. court rules against Obama's stem cell policy

Renae

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(Reuters) - A U.S. district court issued a preliminary injunction on Monday stopping federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research, in a slap to the Obama administration's new guidelines on the sensitive issue.

The court ruled in favor of a suit filed in June by researchers who said human embryonic stem cell research involved the destruction of human embryos.

Judge Royce Lamberth granted the injunction after finding the lawsuit would likely succeed because the guidelines violated law banning the use of federal funds to destroy human embryos.
U.S. court rules against Obama's stem cell policy | Reuters

After all the hoopla, Obama get's smacked down.
 
Is the human embryo more valuable than the human fetus? It's legal to suck the life out of a pre-born child yet illegal to harvest an embryo to save a babies life.

Wow, is this country ever screwed up....
 

Yeah, we just found this out a few hours ago. I'm not sure what the University we're contracted with is going to do with the research we've accumulated thus far, but I think we have enough viable cells to keep going for a little while longer if they really want to stretch it out. It's up to them, though - they are the ones getting the funding. If the funding dries up, then i'm sure they'll shelve it and contact us about dropping the project.
 
That's all that really matter to you? How Obama looks.

You couldn't care less about Stem Cell research or the real issue, but as long as it can be used against Obama...

This only stops federal funding of embryonic research. Besides more strides have been made with adult stem cells than embryonic ones. Less chance of rejection etc.
I do have a question though. Whenever this subject comes up, headlines are Stem Cell research funding cut off by Bush, for example. then you read the artical and they are talking embryotic stem cells. Same with this one.Bush was never against adult stem cell research, or the federal funding of it, but everyone always says that. Why? Is it because they want to make him look heartless or do they just not know there is a difference?
 
That's all that really matter to you? How Obama looks.

You couldn't care less about Stem Cell research or the real issue, but as long as it can be used against Obama...

Maybe cause I think Obama was wrong and it's good to see this happen?

Maybe I believe that Embryonic Stem Cell is morally corrupt?

Not everyone has such little regard for human life as you do.
 
This only stops federal funding of embryonic research. Besides more strides have been made with adult stem cells than embryonic ones. Less chance of rejection etc.

Even if it is true that adult stem cells produce "greater strides," there are nevertheless qualities of embryonic stems cells that adult stem cells do not have. Adult and embryonic stem cells are different, so different research can be achieved with both. Why foreclose any avenue of research? It's not like it's a choice between one of the other, we can research both to even greater effect. Furthermore, I disagree that embyonic stem cells are not as valuable for research purposes as adult. We haven't done the research on an extensive number of embryonic stem cell lines. We simply don't have enough embryonic stem cell lines under the ban to do meaningful research on them, so who knows what is waiting around the corner. We've already lost too much precious time with this pointless ban.

I do have a question though. Whenever this subject comes up, headlines are Stem Cell research funding cut off by Bush, for example. then you read the artical and they are talking embryotic stem cells.

Nobody opposes adult stem cell research, so it is a nonissue. Opposition to "stem cell research" is simply a byword for the more cumbersome "embryonic stem cell research."
 
Maybe cause I think Obama was wrong and it's good to see this happen?

Maybe I believe that Embryonic Stem Cell is morally corrupt?

Not everyone has such little regard for human life as you do.

The lawsuit is not about human life it is a battle over money:

Dr. James Sherley of Boston Biomedical Research Institute and Theresa Deisher of Washington-based AVM Biotechnology, who both work with adult stem cells, filed the original suit saying the guidelines would harm their work by increasing competition for limited federal funding. They both oppose the use of human embryonic stem cells.
 
Maybe cause I think Obama was wrong and it's good to see this happen?

Maybe I believe that Embryonic Stem Cell is morally corrupt?

Not everyone has such little regard for human life as you do.

I've always been curious about these types of responses. Do you feel this way because you think the embryos are forcibly removed from a woman for research purposes, or do you realize that the embryos destroyed were headed into the dumpster anyway? If you realize that the latter is the truth, are you equally opposed to fertilization procedures that millions of Americans will attempt in order to make a baby this year alone?

It seems that the only way one can be opposed to embryonic stem cell research is to simultaneously oppose IVF, which pretty much kills the "I have more regard for human life than you do" argument. I'm not making fun of your argument by any means, but I am understandably curious.
 
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This only stops federal funding of embryonic research. Besides more strides have been made with adult stem cells than embryonic ones. Less chance of rejection etc.

Actually this is not entirely true. There is no evidence that adult stem cells are any more likely to be rejected by the host body than their embryonic counterparts. More strides have been made with adult stem cells simply because they've been funded longer, but the potential for embryonic stem cells is very exciting. Adult stem cells are also a pretty big pain to keep around from what I understand (I never personally worked with the adult model, so you'd have to ask someone more familiar with them than myself). Embryonic stem cells are pretty simple to keep up in my experience.
 
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I've always been curious about these types of responses. Do you feel this way because you think the embryos are forcibly removed from a woman for research purposes, or do you realize that the embryos destroyed were headed into the dumpster anyway? If you realize that the latter is the truth, are you equally opposed to fertilization procedures that millions of Americans will attempt in order to make a baby this year alone?

It seems that the only way one can be opposed to embryonic stem cell research is to simultaneously oppose IVF, which pretty much kills the "I have more regard for human life than you do argument". I'm not making fun of your argument by any means, but I am understandably curious.
As you appear to be one who has some knowledge of this type of science, I have a question for you.

Is there a difference between adult and embryonic stem cell research? As in, is there a noticeable difference between the stem cells from different sources, potentially offering different results/rewards?

Personally, I think the main disagreement most people have with embryonic stem cell research is that those embryonic stem cells have/had? the potential to become a human (through the correct process, obviously).

Most of them probably object to the majority of abortions for similar reasons, and the issues are tied together (for them, at least).

I can see that, if you believe embryo = human (or the potential to be human?), or something similar/related, how you might have an issue.
 
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Is there a difference between adult and embryonic stem cell research? As in, is there a noticeable difference between the stem cells from different sources, potentially offering different results/rewards?

To be honest, I have never worked with somatic stem cells (or "adult" stem cells as they are called in the news), so my knowledge of that type of research is very limited. I can tell you a little about them, but nothing more than what you already know. On and off for the last thirteen years, i've worked with universities performing embryonic research, although the lack of funding was a huge problem for many labs, so more projects remained "on the drawing table" than those that actually got off.

Speaking from a lab perspective, I can tell you my experiences with embryonic stem cells. First off, they are incredibly easy to isolate. You get an embryo, you extract the stem cells. Put them in culture and incubate them, and they grow like wildfire. Once they are confluent, we'll do our studies and then ship them back to the university along with our data, where I imagine they'll do their own projects.

From a research perspective, folks like embryonic stem cells for their - $10 word incoming - pluripotency, which is just a fancy-shmancy way of saying these cells will develop into whatever you want them to develop into given the right stimulation. This makes research pretty easy, and you don't have to put up with a lot of extra equipment and drawn-out processes to work with them. From what I understand, somatic stem cells are a pain that way, in addition to them suddenly springing up tumor-lines out of the blue and being prone to contamination. However, I have no firsthand knowledge of this, as I never worked with them. A geneticist who has worked with both would be much more knowledgable than myself on the matter.


Personally, I think the main disagreement most people have with embryonic stem cell research is that those embryonic stem cells have/had? the potential to become a human (through the correct process, obviously).

Most of them probably object to the majority of abortions for similar reasons, and the issues are tied together (for them, at least).

I can see that, if you believe embryo = human (or the potential to be human?), or something similar/related, how you might have an issue.

Ahhh. Well, the way I look at it is that most of those embryos were on the way into the biohazard flames as they were approaching unviability. I think there is a tendency to lump an embryo in with a baby among a lot of folks, and probably assume that these embryos were on their way to becoming an actually baby before the process of stem cell research interrupted all that. To be honest, I just do the research, and I don't dwell on the potentiality of it all. I know it's a big deal among many folks, but i'd be curious to see if that would change if many folks realize that it's no different than IV fertilization, when it comes right down to it.

Good points, brutha.
 
I've always been curious about these types of responses. Do you feel this way because you think the embryos are forcibly removed from a woman for research purposes, or do you realize that the embryos destroyed were headed into the dumpster anyway? If you realize that the latter is the truth, are you equally opposed to fertilization procedures that millions of Americans will attempt in order to make a baby this year alone?

It seems that the only way one can be opposed to embryonic stem cell research is to simultaneously oppose IVF, which pretty much kills the "I have more regard for human life than you do" argument. I'm not making fun of your argument by any means, but I am understandably curious.

It seems that you create logic boxes that demand I accept your pre-conceived conclusion or admit I'm an uneducated hypocritical dolt.

I realize the source of the eggs, the source of the cells. The issue isn't the source, but the moral and ethical grounding for taking what would be an otherwise viable human and using it for research.

If the Embryonic Stem Cell research is as potentially productive as the claims would have it, then private funding can have it. Federal Funds should not have anything to do with it.
 
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Maybe there is still one drop of sanity and law within the courts. The government should fund research that requires the purposeful death of a human life.
 
I realize the source of the eggs, the source of the cells. The issue isn't the source, but the moral and ethical grounding for taking what would be an otherwise viable human and using it for research.

If the Embryonic Stem Cell research is as potentially productive as the claims would have it, then private funding can have it. Federal Funds should not have anything to do with it.

There is your hypocrisy right there. If it is so immoral to perform research on this particular type of cell, then why are you ok with private funding for it? Or am I just putting you in another pesky "logic box?" That whole "logic" thing can be pretty annoying, huh?
 
The lawsuit is not about human life it is a battle over money:

Tax payer money. Lots of pro-lifers don't want to see life created just to be destroyed. Adult stem cells are much more promising. Lets not take from that research to fund something that is less promising and so many are against.
 
It's not illegal nor is it banned for private companies to invest in embryonic stem cell research. They just divert their funding to other areas because it is more promising. My grandfather survived cancer due to new stem cell therapies, and those therapies included his stem cells. Plus, we are making more gains in de-differentiating living human tissue into forms of stem cells. We can already turn skin into a more advanced form of partially differentiated stem cell.
 
We absolutely need to fund stem cell research some more, this stuff is fascinating and could really pave the way for future health care.
 
Tax payer money. Lots of pro-lifers don't want to see life created just to be destroyed. Adult stem cells are much more promising. Lets not take from that research to fund something that is less promising and so many are against.

Actually, adult stem cells are not any more promising than embryonic research. While I have not worked with somatic lines, I can tell you from firsthand experience that embryonic research is very exciting stuff.
 
It seems that you create logic boxes that demand I accept your pre-conceived conclusion or admit I'm an uneducated hypocritical dolt.

A simple "yes, I am also against IVF" would have sufficed, but far be it from me to interrupt a rant.
 
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Where are people getting the idea that "life is created just to be destroyed?"
Many of the embryos come from fertility clinics, where life is being created... to create life. That process leaves leftover embryos, if you'll forgive the term, because the success rate is so low they have to attempt multiple embryos at a time. These embryos can either go in a burner or into a lab where they might help save lives. Unless you oppose IVF, in which case your opposition to use of these embryos almost makes sense.
 
Where are people getting the idea that "life is created just to be destroyed?"
Many of the embryos come from fertility clinics, where life is being created... to create life. That process leaves leftover embryos, if you'll forgive the term, because the success rate is so low they have to attempt multiple embryos at a time. These embryos can either go in a burner or into a lab where they might help save lives. Unless you oppose IVF, in which case your opposition to use of these embryos almost makes sense.

This, a thousand times this!
 
Where are people getting the idea that "life is created just to be destroyed?"
Many of the embryos come from fertility clinics, where life is being created... to create life. That process leaves leftover embryos, if you'll forgive the term, because the success rate is so low they have to attempt multiple embryos at a time. These embryos can either go in a burner or into a lab where they might help save lives. Unless you oppose IVF, in which case your opposition to use of these embryos almost makes sense.

And Bush approved of that too. So do most pro-lifers. He didn't approve of creating life to destroy it. Apparently the researchers want more than leftovers.
 
Actually this is not entirely true. There is no evidence that adult stem cells are any more likely to be rejected by the host body than their embryonic counterparts. More strides have been made with adult stem cells simply because they've been funded longer, but the potential for embryonic stem cells is very exciting. Adult stem cells are also a pretty big pain to keep around from what I understand (I never personally worked with the adult model, so you'd have to ask someone more familiar with them than myself). Embryonic stem cells are pretty simple to keep up in my experience.

Don't really want to debate this with you because I'm no expert. I've just heard things that say the opposite. That great strides are being made with adult, and embryonic has been quite a disapointment.
Either way I'm still against creating life to destroy it with tax payer money. Leftovers from fertility clinics with the biological parents approval would be Ok since they'll be destroyed anyway.
 
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