In response to my colleague's blog, blueoasisaustin , I wanted to offer my whole-hearted agreement to his assessment of the issue of stem cell research. Lucky for me I haven't been directly affected by any such disease or disorder as my colleague has been, but it doesn't mean I don't have strong feelings about it as another human being in the world.
For years people have been going into doctors offices everywhere and some of them get the terrible news that they have a disease or disorder like ALS, Alzheimers, Cancer, etc. That list goes on forever. These people are being told, in essence, that are in the descent phase on a trail that leads to death. Until very recently there was scarcely a glimmer of hope. Medicine doing as it always has is now discovering drugs and other forms of treatment that are literally stopping death in its tracks in some cases. One of the most promising areas of research is in embryonic stem cells. This stem cell research has provided the exciting possibility of cures for diseases that have long been virtually untreatable.
This offers a great hope for people who are, as my colleague put it, "...waiting for nature to run its course." Oh but it's not so easy, both here and across the nation religious zealots are campaigning against this research because it "kills innocent life." In this case innocent life is microscopic cells in petri dishes that will be destroyed anyway if they're not used for this research. I'm pretty sure by this definition of innocent life masturbation ought be tantamount to murder according to those who would crusade against stem cell research. And their ignorance might be funnier if it wasn't such a formidable roadblock to this promising research that may well lead to the cure for so many diseases and other conditions that are taking away lives.
I'm not saying the cure is right around the corner, but you never find out without doing the research. What that research offers might be just as important for those afflicted and their loved ones... hope. You can't put a price on that and no one should have a right to take that chance at hope away from someone because of their chosen religious scripture.
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"One of the most promising areas of research is in embryonic stem cells."
Could you PLEASE back up assertions like this with SOME kind of evidence? PLEASE do your research.
I have NEVER heard of ANY scientific breakthrough that was made possible by the use of embryonic stem cell research. In fact, there is very little scientific evidence that we could do much more with embryonic stem cells than we can do with any other stem cells.
"You can't put a price on that and no one should have a right to take that chance at hope away from someone because of their chosen religious scripture."
This has NOTHING to do with religion. It has EVERYTHING to do with life. I don't want to take the chance of killing someone for the very slim likelihood of a scientific finding.
To read more:
(This is from a man who truly has done his research. Please read.)
><>Brian
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