Bush against embryonic stem cell research, warns Congress

Medical News Today, UK ^ | 5/22/05

[Valin]

George Bush expressed concern about embryonic stem cell research saying it is a science that destroys life before it saves life. The US president said he will veto any bill that backs embryonic stem cell research. He said he will make it clear to Congress that the use of (US) federal money to promote a science that destroys life in order to save life will be vetoed.

Meanwhile, researchers in South Korea, UK and Canada are making breakthroughs which could eventually see the end of suffering for millions of people throughout the world. Professor Hwank Woo-suk, South Korea, and his team have just created stem cells that are a perfect genetic match for a specified patient with an incurable disease.

Some Republicans are questioning the wisdom of George Bush's policy. Many are keen to see incurable diseases being successfully treated. Others are becoming concerned at the way America is losing ground in this potentially huge field of medicine.

Scientists from Europe and East Asia have written to Medical News Today expressing excitement at these new breakthroughs. They are over the moon at George Bush's stance as it gives them a head start in the race. “It is amazing,” said one scientist, “that America executes many death-row prisoners who have incurable mental illnesses, but won't allow an embryo smaller than the size of this dot (.) to be used for research that could eventually save millions of lives.”

[Tribune7]

The most egregiously atavistic governance position since Copernicus and his punishment at the hands of theologians unhappy with his scientific theory.

1. Copernicus was never punished

2. Theologians never expressed to him unhappiness

3. Embryonic stem cell research is not illegal (What these fellows want is tax dollars, which brings up the question as to why private $$ aren't being spent for these sure-thing "miracle cures")

[wagglebee]

Everything I have seen indicates that there is as much if not more reason to research umbilical stem cells. These are far more readily available than embryos and research on them will not be offensive to anybody.

However, I still think the whole notion is a waste of time and money. Pharmaceutical companies spend billions every year on every sort of research imaginable, but they've basically ignored stem cell research. If for profit companies can see no benefit here, why should Congress?

[ArrogantBustard]

Institutionalised infanticide and cannibalism Embryonic stem cell research proceeds in the US at Stanford and Harvard who have raised private funding.

For which Stanford and Harvard should be deeply ashamed.

[MHGinTN]

You poined, "I believe that aborting a developing fetus is destroying life, but not a blastocyst. The cells have not specialized themselves yet." It will comes as a surprise to you then that at sixteen cells in size, he or she has already started differentiating cells for survival. The embryo-aged being is already differentiating cells to build the placenta and amniotic sac (the first organ(s) of survival in the womb, and will within days begin differentiating the cells for the inner cell mass which builds the body of organs to survive in the air world.

Are you aware that scientists are already removing a blastomere from the petri dish embryo, to test for genetic defects and to make a 'repair system' of future stem cells should the child develop a need later? Why not use those embryonic stem cells that can be developed from the pluripotent blastomere to do embryonic stem cell cures ... BUT, why not do the experiemnts to perfect the processes by testing on other mammals such as great ape embryo blastomeres? Why kill an individual at embryo-age in order to do research?

[wagglebee]

There is not a shred of evidence ANYWHERE that indicates that stem cell research will cure ANYTHING. If evidence existed, there would be no need for government funding, the biotech companies would throw more money at it than you can imagine. The culture of death has conditioned people to believe that embryonic stem cell are a panacea for every ailment out there -- there is no validity to this claim, but it helps to justify the widespread infanticide that is occurring in this country.

In the past 32 years, more than 40 MILLION babies have had life stolen from them, countless more millions of embryos have been destroyed. All this research has been done, but where are the results? Moreover, many researchers have said that unbilical stem cells (which are produced by every live birth) have as much or more promise than embryonic stem cells.

We can't allow ourselves to fall prey to some emotional plea that people in wheelchairs or suffering from other illnesses can be saved. We have no idea if this is true or not, what we do know for certain is that lives are lost to get these cells.

[jwalsh07]

Thats right, there is only one place to draw a bright line and thats fertilization. Anything after that is rationalization like Bones75 looking quadriplegics in the eye. How does he look the embryos that got away in the eye when they are adopted?

[wagglebee]

I have close friends who are quadriplegics and paraplegics, I would love to give them the opportunity to walk again. But I also realize if stem cells were so promising that private companies would be lined up doing this research.

[jwalsh07]

I would love for everybody to be cured. I'd love to have the stents in my heart mysteriously disappear and my pipes be as wide open as they were when I was a 15 year old. I would love for my wife to never have had bilateral breast cancer and a brain tumor the size of a large orange. I would love to have my little brother back but I'm sure he's happy in heaven with our Mom and Dad and the Good Lord. But I wouldn't want any of that if I had to kill an unborn human being to get it.

ESR has demonstrated no efficacy for the ill and maimed. Adult stem cell research has demonstrated efficacy in many areas. The notion that the government is going to make me pay to kill what I consider human life pisses me off more than you will ever know.

[Ronaldus Magnus]

I would love for everybody to be cured. I'd love to have the stents in my heart mysteriously disappear and my pipes be as wide open as they were when I was a 15 year old. I would love for my wife to never have had bilateral breast cancer and a brain tumor the size of a large orange. I would love to have my little brother back but I'm sure he's happy in heaven with our Mom and Dad and the Good Lord. But I wouldn't want any of that if I had to kill an unborn human being to get it.

So well put it needs to be repeated.

[risk]

I appreciate you all making such a strong stand against federal spending on this analog to human sacrifice. This is one nonrepresentational spending area where federal taxes simply must not be used. On a related note, I couldn't support Arnold Schwarzenegger after he signed the 50 caliber ban and then got behind the multi-billion state dollar stem cell research fiasco in California. It's a relief that President Bush at least makes a stand on this issue even if he won't take a stand on borders. We know where John Kerry would have been on this.

[ArrogantBustard]

Why kill an individual at embryo-age in order to do research?

Because fundamentally, killing is what this is all about.

It's not really about curing Parkinson's Disease, or repairing injuries, or anything similar.

It's about finding some justification for killing the unborn (and any other lives deemed "unworthy of living"). The "womens' rights" and "freedom of choice" arguments failed; so the supporters of infanticide are returning to the "blob of cells" argument ... with a twist.

[MHGinTN]

As we write these missives, scientists are working on a way (and they've been successful!) to remove a blastomere cell during the blastocyst age of the individual in order to check for genetic anomalies, without killing the embryo-aged being! These same scientists now believe strongly that a removed balstomere can be used as the 'seed' to produce an entire system of stem cells for treating the being when something goes awry at a later age. [Rep. Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland has a bill to fund THAT research into embryo stem cells which will not kill the mebryonic beings) Doesn't that tell us clearly that an alternate way to obtain embryonic stem cells exists which will not kill the embryo from whom the stem cell is taken? Doesn't that further tell us that it is entirely possible to obtain stem cell lines from embryos in a way that will help the embryo as he or she gets older and thus the embryo itself is a human being and will remain THE SAME HUMAN BEING as he or she grows older?

I ask any thinking person, what's the rush to kill embryos now for this research, when it is ethical to do the blastomere removal from other mammals and do the research to perfect the processes which can then be used for humans without killing humans? The rush, for anyone stopping to think about it, is tied directly to the desire to do human cloning for body parts, euphemistically (a lie is still a lie) called therapeutic cloning. If we do not resist this rush now, when the applications of ESCR finds the first cure, the dumbed-down public will embrace the cannibalism unaware that ethical alternatives ARE AVAILABLE.

[Useless_eater_on_steroids]

There is no Federal law that forbids any private research with ANY type on stem call. It just can't be federally funded.

President Bush wants to make sure the profit for embryonic stem cell research stays in the private sector.

[Ronaldus Magnus]

Bill passed 238-194. Thank the Lord our nation is blessed with a pro-life leader like President Bush who will veto this abomination.

FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 204

[jwalsh07]

Bush's first veto coming up. It could not have come at a better time from my point of view. They don't have the votes to override either. Look for the Senate to try and avoid forcing Bush to a veto. This vote after the stupid seven is gonna do wonders for the social conservatives in the Republican Party.

[Calpernia]

bump for Bush!

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Tolik, I thought you might be interested in wagglebee's brief retort, brevity being the soul of wit. FRegards....

"The fact that the private sector has shown no real interest in this, leads to the conclusion that it's because there is no real benefit to the research."

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Stem cell research reminds me of the Nazis using human skin to make lamp shades. Sure, it shows promise to some, but where do we draw the line? Good for Bush. Did he toss us a bone? Or is he bipolar?

[Tolik]

Thanks for the heads up. I think wagglebee expressed the point perfectly well.

Still, not rushing to dump money there might be just because the benefits are not immediate or other priorities are more important. After all, their resources are large, but not limitless.

Also, research overseas needs to be considered as well. They are somewhat easier on moral dilemmas. The clone wars of Star Wars, or genetic wars of Star Trek and all the worst nightmares of SciFi anti-utopias may still be ahead of us. Shudder to even think about it...

[wagglebee]

If private enterprise thought there was a realistic chance that embryonic stem cell research would pay off in any reasonable time frame, they would pour billions into it. The payoff isn't there. Additionally, private enterprise gives large sums of money to medical research, but they have been unwilling to spend any large sums on this work.

Embryonic stem cell research is, imho, a ruse that the culture of death is using to justify the fertilization and immediate destruction of embryos. They know that if they can get the pro-life movement to say that an embryo isn't a life, then it will be a little easier to get some to say that a fetus isn't a life. The culture of death could care less about stem cells (they have already proven to us that they consider many lives "unworthy" of being kept alive) -- stem cells are the means to an end for them.