Free Republic

SIOUX CITY, Iowa, August 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In his latest column, Bishop R. Walter Nickless of the Diocese of Sioux City joined a growing number of Catholic leaders in stated opposition to the Obama health care legislation, which is poised to expand abortion by mandating abortion coverage and providing taxpayer subsidies to abortion providers. Niclkess also noted that the Catholic Church has no position for or against any kind of health care distribution, and argued that the structure proposed by the legislation would ultimately be detrimental to distributing health care according to need. "No health care reform is better...

An age of medical miracles is dawning. Obama administration federal funding rules for embryonic stem cells, or ES cells, will open wide the money floodgates for "the most remarkable potential of any scientific discovery ever made with respect to human health." It has "the capacity to cure maladies of all sorts,including cancer, heart disease, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's," and spinal cord injuries. Or so says Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) among others. But paraplegics shouldn’t post their wheelchairs on EBay just yet. If these cures are just around the corner, this corner is far, far away. And that's according to ES cell researchers...

Leadership: Our new science czar, John Holdren, once backed compulsory sterilization and forced abortion as part of a government population-control program. The only thing missing was a Soylent Green recipe.In April, President Obama declared that "the days of science taking a back seat to ideology are over." In everything from stem cell research to climate change and energy policy, reason and science would triumph. The problem is that what the Obama administration considers science, as exemplified by the choice of Holdren, is troubling. In a recently rediscovered 1977 book, "Ecoscience: Population, Resources, Environment," co-authored with doomsters Paul and Anne Ehrlich,...

Bioethics: The former director of the National Institutes of Health, once an enthusiast for embryonic stem cells, now says their future has "dimmed." So why is the administration bailing out research into such therapies while troubled states like California have committed billions?Aside from creating or saving a few research jobs, the administration's decision to federally fund embryonic stem cell research is, as we've noted, a bailout of bad science. It throws money at an avenue of research that time and adult stem cell progress have passed by. Applauding the administration's move was Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., who echoed the claims...

July ushers in new Ga. laws By GREG BLUESTEIN ATLANTA The beginning of July ushers in a slew of new laws in Georgia, including a measure that seeks to celebrate the Confederacy while also honoring a civil rights leader, new rules praised by abortion opponents and a pair of laws long sought by prosecutors. Those measures and dozens of others are set to take effect on Wednesday, the first day of July. And while some of the new laws aren't among the most high-profile legislation, many are the result of hard-fought legislative battles that could have profound impact. Prosecutors groups,...

Dr. Leon R. Kass, a widely published author, award-winning humanities teacher, and one of America’s leading moral philosophers and experts on medical ethics, will deliver the 2009 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced today. The annual NEH-sponsored Jefferson Lecture is the most prestigious honor the federal government bestows for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities. “Leon Kass is an outstanding scholar, a gifted teacher, and one of our nation’s leading humanists,” said NEH Acting Chairman Carole M. Watson. “He has brought the wisdom of the humanities to bear on many topics, from bioethics...

News to Note, May 2, 2009A weekly feature examining news from the biblical viewpoint (Read the following stories, and much more by clicking excerpt link at the bottom) 1. LiveScience: “Swine Flu Is Evolution in Action”Swine flu—both the virus itself and the associated paranoia—seems to be sweeping the world. Is it evolution in action? 2. LiveScience: “Some Dinosaurs Survived the Asteroid Impact”The widely taught model of dinosaur extinction doesn’t line up with the latest fossil findings. 3. National Geographic News: “Baby Mammoth CT Scan Reveals Internal Organs”The preserved baby woolly mammoth shows that it died in an “oxygen-deprived environment” that...

On Friday, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed critics of federal funding of life-killing embryonic stem-cell research with this argument: “We’ve had a situation where it’s faith or science — take your pick,” Pelosi said about how the administration of George W. Bush allegedly dealt with the funding issue and other hot-button issues that involve making moral choices about scientific research. “We’re saying science is an answer to our prayers.” Added Pelosi, “We need science, science, science, science, science.” At his Secondhand Smoke blog, bioethicist Wesley Smith demolishes Pelosi’s claim that embryonic stem-cell research represents state-of-the-art science. In fact,...

Read these stories and much more by clicking the excerpt link below: 1. Wall Street Journal: “Hong Kong Christens an Ark of Biblical Proportions” 2. ScienceNOW: “Our Ancestors Were No Swingers” 3. National Geographic News: “First Tool Users Were Sea Scorpions?” 4. LiveScience: “Three Subgroups of Neanderthals Identified” 5. BBC News: “Stem Cells ‘Can Treat Diabetes’” (adult stem cells, that is...) 6. New Scientist: “Praying to God Is Like Talking to a Friend” And much much more at...

We thought we'd heard some wild diet tips floating around health-obsessed Hollywood. But this takes the cake. According to MomLogic.com, a woman
 named Chrissy Schilling had her first baby over the weekend. And she and her sister celebrated by cooking and serving up the placenta. They put it on pasta and into a panini sandwich and posted some photos of the meals on a Facebook page

. According to Chrissy's sister Kathy Schilling's recommendations and recipe,
 the placenta -- full of lingering blood, vitamins, hormones -- is nourishing for the baby during pregnancy, but the nutrients are also good for moms...

Here’s Josh Brahm explaining this “Oprah” spot, in which Dr. Oz comes out against embryonic stem-cell research on scientific grounds (Warning: In it he handles, pokes and slices a real human brain).  Catholics remember sadly that Michael J. Fox was a huge proponent of clone-and-kill stem-cell research. How ironic that President Obama, who claims to want to “follow science” is funding precisely the kind of research that the medical community is abandoning. See Josh Brahm’s essay “9 Things the Media Messed Up About the Obama Stem Cell Story.”On the “Oprah” show, Dr. Mehmet Oz handles the brain of a 50-year-old...

VIDEO: Obama bans funding for Adult Stem Cell Research behind closed doors CONTRADICTING his own speeches! More stem cell info at http://StemCellAnswers.com.

Obama’s anti-life ideology ... Obama is not opposed to restricting adult stem cell research, because the same executive order which gives funding to embryonic stem cell research takes away funding from adult stem cell research. This is a senseless move on the part of the president; the only stem cell research he is interested in funding is precisely the most dangerous kind, the only kind that a large segment of the population is opposed to on moral grounds, and the only one that has consistently failed to produce the promised ‘miracle cure’ results. If he were really concerned about life-saving...

On Wednesday, President Obama signed a law that bans federal funding of any research that leads to the destruction of human embryos just two days after lifting Bush-era restraints on it. President Obama may have abolished contentious Bush-era restraints on federal funding of stem cell research on Monday, but a legislative obstacle still remains for scientists seeking more money. A spending bill that Obama signed on Wednesday explicitly bans federal funding of any "research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death," language that pertains to creation of new...

I'm really never going to get over how much fun this charade is to watch. On Monday, the glorious b. Hussein proclaimed how he hit "select all, delete, save" (for you original Mac folks) on the Bush administration executive order banning embryonic stem cell research. Then on Wednesday, b. signed the $410 billion omnibus bill, so his socialist soul train could roll on through the end of the fiscal year. Not to be outdone, he took to the pulpit (reading from his Golden Teleprompter, of course) and chastised lawmakers (particularly those supposed "Republicans," who, we admit with grinding teeth, disgustingly...

The article says that the stem cell debate which claims those in favor are enlightened and those opposed benighted is a triumph of propaganda over journalism. It cites many medical researchers who are oppposed. http://www.thebulletin.us/articles/2009/03/12/top_stories/doc49b8ed8396a14904658428.txt

Who would be against finding better ways of treating hypothermia or malaria? What monster would prevent us from discovering a cure for gangrene? Who is against better treatment for burns? Given the scarcity of fresh water in many parts of the world, can we find ways of putting seawater to human use? And who knows what useful science can result from the study of twins? Somehow, at one time and place, certain experiments designed to find the answers to these worthy questions were found to be a crime against humanity. But thanks to the policies of the Obama administration, these...

COLUMNS Wednesday, 11 March 2009 Obama Proposes a Toast By William Saunders    In 1942, C. S. Lewis published The Screwtape Letters, advice from a senior “tempter� to a novice about how to confuse us poor mortals, which may be summed up in a single sentence: “Your job is to fuddle them, not to encourage them to think.� In 1959, Screwtape appears again, in an essay titled, “Screwtape Proposes a Toast,� in which the senior tempter reflects on the state of the world and on what can be done to make it even worse. Those who listened to President Obama’s...

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's lifting of restrictions on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research puts him at odds with Pope Benedict and the American Roman Catholic Church. After Obama signed the order on Monday, the Vatican and U.S. Church leaders condemned the move. One commentator said the test of "a real democracy" was its defense of the most defenseless. Obama's executive order reversed and repudiated restrictions placed on the research by his predecessor, George W. Bush, freeing labs across the country to start working with the cells, which can give rise to any kind of...

Michael Harris, the NY Government Examiner, makes an emotional appeal in support of stem cell research, following President Obama's decision to end President Bush's ban on using taxpayer funds for such research. As many such appeals do, it relies on personal experience and emotion over a reasoned discussion of the proper role of the federal government. I have early-onsent generalized dystonia, a severe neurological disorder and have used a wheelchair since I was nine years old. Stem cell research is considered one of the best chances of finding new and better treatments for dystonia and ultimately developing a cure. At...

Stem Cells Does Their Origin Matter? Preserving life—it is extremely important in the Christian faith. But what is the biblical definition of life, and how does this definition affect stem cell research?God clearly commands in Exodus 20:13: “You shall not murder [the intentional, predatory killing of another]” (NIV; see also Matthew 19:18; Romans 13:9). A big controversy today is that of determining when life begins. In the field of embryonic stem cell research (ESCR), this determination is especially crucial. Because technology is advancing faster than society’s ethics, we are left to solve such dilemmas in the midst of active...

VATICAN CITY: The Vatican's newspaper is reiterating Catholic teaching that embryonic stem cell research is immoral as President Barack Obama prepares to lift a federal funding limit on such work. L'Osservatore Romano wrote Saturday that such research in the eyes of the Catholic church is "deeply immoral" and lamented that U.S. taxpayers' money will help fund embryonic stem cell research. Catholic teaching holds that life begins at conception and opposes research involving destruction of human embryos. The Vatican's newspaper quoted from a condemnation issued last year by U.S. bishops who expressed worry that there will be "no stopping point" if...

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Jewish groups applauded President Obama's decision to lift the executive order restricting federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. "We wholeheartedly thank President Obama for his action on this important issue," Hadassah national president Nancy Falchuk said of Monday's decision. "Those suffering from debilitating diseases and disorders for which stem cell research holds great promise now have a renewed sense of hope, and we are optimistic for the future of embyronic stem cell research." Falchuk also urged Congress to "continue working on this issue" so that federal funds are "completely accessible" for such research. The Orthodox Union...

Yes, Bill Plante did acknowledge that the stem cell issue has “deep moral and political implications.” And yes, we did hear from a representative of the Family Research Council speaking in opposition to Pres. Obama’s decision to lift the Bush-era ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. But that said, was it right for the Early Show to air the most inflammatory possible accusation against Pres. Bush? Recounting the story of a young boy who died of a rare and fatal genetic disease Plante stated that the boy’s parents: “believe their son’s chance of survival ended when President...

“As a former Jesuit friend of mine said to me once, you know you shouldn’t necessarily confuse the official positions of Rome with what it means to be a person of faith, with what it means to be a Catholic.” That’s David Iverson, explaining on Good Morning America today why even as a church-attending Catholic he supports Pres. Obama’s decision to overturn the Bush-era ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Introducing the segment, co-anchor Kate Snow did note that the decision was controversial, as later did reporter Lisa Stark, and we heard from Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Ok.)...

Fresh off bailouts of the auto industry and big government, President Barack Obama is signaling that he’s still in the mood for giveaways. This time he wants to give away American taxpayers’ money to bail out the failing embryonic stem cell research industry. Recently, Obama offered his “guarantee” that he would soon sign an executive order lifting limits on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research (ESCR). But the only thing forcing taxpayers to fund unproven, life-destroying research will “guarantee” is a refueling of the culture wars Obama spent an entire campaign pledging to extinguish. As with most issues related...

Brave New Pedagogues by: Malcolm A. Kline, February 11, 2009 Academics pride themselves on dreaming up the cutting edge ideas that govern us. That might not be a good thing. They frequently do so without any grave concern about the evidence behind their theories or any regard for the ethical problems inherent in adopting them. Thus, the Ivory Tower is a bastion of support for embryonic stem cell research even though thus far, it has been an abysmal failure and interfering with the creative process of birth is something that you will have to explain to the creator someday. “Stanford...

A bill to remove South Dakota’s restrictions against embryonic stem cell research was introduced yesterday in the state senate. SB 195 would strike from SDCL 34-14 the language prohibiting human embryos from being used for research.  The bill was sponsored by Senators Nesselhuf, Adelstein, Nelson, and Turbak Berry and Representatives Engels, Blake, Cutler, Dreyer, Hoffman, Hunhoff (Bernie), McLaughlin, and Street. We knew this was coming for some time now. Last summer the Argus Leader ran an article about Sanford Health in Sioux Falls under the heading “Sanford eyes stem cell study.”In that article we read A new donation from philanthropist T. Denny...

www.catholicnewsagency.com Stem cells developed in Brazil without need of embryos Brasilia, Feb 5, 2009 / 08:02 pm (CNA).- Brazilian media reported this week that at least five groups of scientists are developing stem cells without using human embryos, thanks to a technique that uses human pluripotent stem cells (iPS) being developed in United States, Germany, Japan and China. At the end of January, a group of scientists led by Stevens Rehen of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and Martin Bonamino of the Division of Experimental Medicine of the National Institute of...

Strategy for creating pluripotent cells called into question.The creation of human?animal hybrid embryos ? proposed as a way to generate embryonic stem cells without relying on scarce human eggs ? has met with legislative hurdles and public outcry. But a paper published this week suggests that the approach has another, more fundamental problem: it may simply not work. Robert Lanza of Advanced Cell Technology, a stem-cell company based in Los Angeles, California, and his colleagues show that in their labs, early-stage human?cow, human?mouse and human?rabbit hybrid embryos fail to grow beyond 16 cells (Y. Chung et al. Cloning Stem Cells...

Geron Corp gained federal permission this week to engage in using Human guinea pigs to study using Human embryonic stem cells for the treatment of spinal injury.... In Portugal, Dr. Carlos Lima has succeeded in using ADULT Stem Cells for spinal repair....”

Central Texans could soon be among some of the first people in the country to get relief from conditions ranging from diabetes to knee injuries through adult stem cell therapy. Scott & White health system, in conjunction with the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, recently recruited a team of scientists who are conducting pioneering research using stem cells gleaned from adults’ bone marrow. The team’s focus is to bring the benefits of stem cell therapy from the laboratory to patients, said Dr. Darwin J. Prockop, who heads up the group. Clinical trials involving diabetes patients are scheduled...

I received this press release from the Center for Inquiry (CFI), a group that grew out of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (or CSICOP). I receive these kinds of things daily from groups hoping I will publicize their causes. In this case, I decided to comply. E-mail: nbupp@centerforinquiry.net Center for Inquiry Calls Vatican’s Position on Biomedical Technology Deplorable and Scientifically Insupportable Amherst, New York (December 12, 2008)—In a move designed to firm up faith-based opposition to embryonic stem cell research and other cutting-edge biomedical technologies, the Vatican has released a 32-page document titled “Dignitas...

President-elect Barack Obama says he thinks it’s ethical to use embryos that would otherwise be destroyed for research into illnesses. From the Associated Press: When the Bush presidency ends, opponents of embryonic stem cell research will face a new political reality that many feel powerless to stop. President-elect Barack Obama is expected to lift restrictions on federal money for such research. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also has expressed interest in going ahead with legislation in the first 100 days of the new Congress if it still is necessary to set up a regulatory framework. “We may lose it, but...

The Vatican has fired a warning shot over the bows of Barack Obama in response to the President-elect's intention to lift the US ban on embryonic stem cell research. Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan of Mexico, who acts as the Vatican health minister, said that stem cells taken from human embryos and involving the destruction of the embryos "serve no purpose". Asked whether the Vatican was concerned about reports that Mr Obama might reverse the Bush Administration's ban, the cardinal said that embryonic stem cell research had not resulted in any significant health cure so far and was "good for nothing"....

Obama's Transition Focuses on Reassuring the Middle Class So far, Obama and aides have gone out of their way to maintain support from the key group By Kenneth T. Walsh Posted November 10, 2008 It's all about reassurance. John Podesta, cochair of Obama's transition organization, said the new administration is reviewing President Bush's executive orders on oil and gas drilling, stem cell research, and other issues for possible reversal. The new administration's moves are likely to please environmentalists, stem cell research advocates, and other groups that have been critical of George W. Bush's policies. Podesta told Fox News that Obama...

Washington, DC -- Members of the team Barack Obama has put together confirmed over the weekend that the incoming president will immediately overturn executive orders President Bush put in place as soon as possible after he takes office. The Bush orders have protected taxpayers on key pro-life issues. Obama would overturn a Bush policy that prevents forcing taxpayers to fund groups that perform or promote abortions in other countries. Obama would also overturn President Bush's policy against funding any new embryonic stem cell research.

Transition advisers to President-elect Barack Obama have compiled a list of about 200 Bush administration actions and executive orders that could be swiftly undone to reverse White House policies on climate change, stem cell research, reproductive rights and other issues, according to congressional Democrats, campaign aides and experts working with the transition team. A team of four dozen advisers, working for months in virtual solitude, set out to identify regulatory and policy changes Obama could implement soon after his inauguration. The team is now consulting with liberal advocacy groups, Capitol Hill staffers and potential agency chiefs to prioritize those they...

Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing, Michigan has denounced Governor Jennifer Granholm for her 'shocking' suggestion that a ballot measure allowing embryonic stem-cell research is a 'pro-life' initiative because it could lead to the discovery of medical cures. "To be in favor of Proposal 2 is not to be pro-life," the bishop said. "A well formed Catholic conscience would never lead a person to support Proposal 2 as a Catholic."

Washington, DC -- Barack Obama is running a misleading radio ad on the issue of stem cell research -- falsely accusing presidential candidate John McCain of voting against it. The ad, which features a mother of a child with juvenile diabetes, also ignores how adult stem cell research provides the most hope for patients.

Madison, WI (LifeNews.com) -- Wisconsin scientist James Thomson is considered the father of embryonic stem cell research for isolating the first embryonic stem cell in 1998. Now comes the news that Thomson's two research companies are merging and planning to focus their energies on stem cells that don't involve the destruction of human life. Thomson's team made headlines last year when he and a separate group of researchers from Japan were able to reprogram adult stem cells into an embryonic-like state. The work with the induced pluripotent stem cells, or IPS cells, has been so exciting within the scientific community...

ADELAIDE, Australia, September 19, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Researchers within the University of Adelaide's new Centre for Stem Cell Research are aiming by the end of this year to show repair in stroke-damaged brains using stem cells taken from adult teeth. The world-leading research using dental pulp stem cells from extracted human teeth and stroke-affected rat brain tissue will be outlined as part of the launch of the Centre for Stem Cell Research. The focus of the new Centre will be on turning novel basic research into potential life-saving treatments and cures for serious conditions and diseases. The Centre will draw...

Republican John McCain, an abortion rights opponent with a conservative Senate record on the issue, seems content with the public's perception that he's more moderate on the subject. Democrat Barack Obama, who supports abortion rights, is only too happy to remind voters where McCain stands, but he tries to make his case without attracting too much attention. Both presidential candidates are gingerly trying to strike the right chord on abortion as they reach out to a critical voting group _ independents and moderates, primarily women in swing-voting suburban regions of crucial states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio. The candidates'...

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 10, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - As scientists continue to gather evidence that adult stem-cells hold great potential for healing and rebuilding human tissue, The Pentagon has announced it is investing a quarter-billion dollars into the research, reports CitizenLink.com.The Pentagon plans to speed research in a five-year initiative to further unlock the ability of adult stem-cells to stop scarring, rebuild tendons and grow bones, in order to aid injured military personnel.  Adult stem-cell therapy works by harnessing the patient's own regenerative ability, since the cells are harvested from the patient's own skin, bones, or wisdom teeth.Col. Bob Vandre...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Joe Biden, Barack Obama's pro-abortion running mate, is coming under fire for comments he made today attacking vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. After attacking her on abortion, Biden then slammed Palin on the birth of her son, who has Down syndrome. During her acceptance speech last week, Palin promised the parents of disabled children that she would be their advocate in the White House. Biden questioned that commitment by attacking Palin's stance on the issue of embryonic stem cell research, which has never helped a single patient. "I hear all this talk about how the Republicans are...

WASHINGTON, September 5, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has released four new print ads, two addressing stem cell research and two focusing on abortion.   The ads were initially published in the Capitol Hill newspaper, Roll Call, and were distributed at the Democratic Convention in Denver and at the Republican Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul, by pro-life groups. The stem cell research ads highlight scientific advances using adult stem cells that are making embryonic stem cells obsolete. One ad shows a commuter running for a train, and asks: "Science is moving...

Boston, MA (LifeNews.com) -- Researchers at Harvard and Columbia have made advances dealing with ALS and stem cells without having to destroy human life. The scientists were able to use a new technique to transform the skin cells of patients with Lou Gehrig's disease into motor neurons. The process may one day be able to create tailor-made cells to replace the damaged ones and either reverse or slow down the deadly disease. An article on the research is scheduled for the July 31 edition of the medical journal Science describes the direct reprogramming process used to make the stem cells...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Though the debate over federal funding of embryonic stem cell research isn't as hot of a political topic in this presidential election, part of the reason could be the enormous success of adult stem cells. While embryonic cells still haven't helped a single patient, adult stem cells continue to perform miracles. Arizona toddler Chloe Levine had cerebral palsy and was unable to perform tasks such as holding her bottle with her right hand or crawling. After a diagnosis with a neurologist, Levine's parents say they learned she had -side hemiplegic cerebral palsy and would need nearly...

Treating lung diseases is a high priority--chronic lung diseases are the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. Now a Canadian team has successfully treated a rare, progressive lung disease, pulmonary hypertension, using the patient's own genetically-modified adult stem cells.   The company Osiris has also started a Phase II clinical trial using its adult stem cell product, Prochymal, for moderate to severe chronic obstructive lung disease. Researchers at Vermont College of Medicine have also shown that cord blood stem cells has the potential to regenerate lung tissue.

In the ongoing debate about stem cell research, few people differentiate between adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells. Also, few know that there are over 70 successful treatments from adult stem cells and none from embryonic.1What has many up in arms is that the production of embryonic stem cells endangers the life of a very small, but distinctly human, person. Once a human egg has been fertilized, a new cell results, called a zygote. This single cell contains all the instructions required to mature and develop a full-term baby and is therefore rightly considered an immature person. The...