There were many good articles this week regarding the current state of stem cell research in light of the recent stem cell breakthrough and announcement by Dolly cloner Ian Willmut. Colleen Carroll Campbell: Breakthrough signals a path to ethical cures Charles Krauthammer: Stem Cell Vindication Ramesh Ponnuru: Sharon Begley on Stem Cells – exposing media hypocrisy on stem cell research … Read More
The Politicians Don’t Get it, As Usual
From Life News, Lawmakers Still Want Destructive Embryonic Stem Cell Research Funding, despite the recent breakthrough in reverting human skin cells into embryonic-like cells. But then what can you expect when the very researchers who made such a profound discovery are still encouraging the unethical, and now unnecessary, use of human embryos for stem cell research? In related news, Researchers … Read More
Love the Suffering
My post yesterday, and further reflection on the movie Bella, got me thinking about the importance of loving those who are suffering. How do we know the love of Christ on earth except through the love of others? Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You … Read More
Reclaiming the Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality
Regarding the WHO abortion study that I mentioned in Wednesday’s post another conclusion that many come to upon seeing the numbers of abortions carried out world wide is that something must be done to prevent so many “unwanted pregnancies” in the first place. Now that is a rational conclusion. What is irrational, however, is the promotion of contraception as a … Read More
ESC Research and the Presidential Candidates
One of the best things I think President Bush has done during his presidency (notice I said “one of”) was to take a stand and twice veto a bill to expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Of course it doesn’t exactly excuse the fact that he was the first president to actually provide federal funding for ESC research, … Read More
Exploiting Women and Families for Cloning/ESCR
A little late getting this one in, but this is despicable. In the UK women will be offered discounted IVF treatments if they will donate extra eggs for cloning research. I’m not sure what’s worse, that, or the morally bankrupt StemLifeLine which encourages parents to destroy their own offspring by allowing the company to “develop” and “transform” their unwanted IVF … Read More
What’s Wrong with ESCR and Right about ASCR: a Summary
At the conclusion of his article, The Dark Door of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, for the Conservative Voice, Kevin Roeten provides a to-the-point summary of what is wrong with research on human embryos and right about research using adult stem cells: ESCR is believed to be a human ‘suffering’ savior, even though it causes tumors, likely immunogenic (rejected after implantation), … Read More
More Stem Cell Research Whining in MO
I find it amazing that, in a state which guarantees researchers a constitutional right to conduct ESC research and create and destroy human embryos for scientific research, supporters of such research can still find something to complain about. The NY Times ran this article last week about how the cloning amendment passed last year has changed very little in the … Read More
Are Ethical Human ESCs Only Months Away?
One Japanese genetics researcher seems to think so. Dr. Shinya Yamanaka thinks that it will be possible to make embryonic-like stem cells without embryos a readily available prototype within “six months to a year,” and “Within two to three years we may be able to create a stem cell that is indistinguishable from one taken from an embryo.” Well, that … Read More
CWA’s ESC Research Talking Points
Some quick points to remember when talking about embryonic stem cell research. From Concerned Women for America: • Embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) destroys human lives to “advance science.” The process of extracting stem cells from the embryo destroys it. An embryo is a human being at its earliest stage of life. • ESCR is utilitarian, not humane. It is … Read More