With the controversy surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells, the above headline may come as a shock. The recent veto by President George Bush that denied extra federal funding for research conducted on embryonic stem cells, along with the clamor and backlash the decision faced from scientists, politicians, and various institutions, has all but confirmed the importance of embryonic stem cells. Is that not right? Perhaps not, as commentator Pat Boone recently found out. The fact is, embryonic stem cells may not be as important as we all think.
A couple of months ago, I was in downtown Los Angeles, at the courthouse, doing my jury duty for several days. There are always breaks and lulls, during which time hundreds of participants can and do talk and get to know each other. I actually enjoyed it.
During one of those breaks, I was electrified by a conversation with an L.A. scientist/engineer/businessman named John. Somehow the subject of embryonic stem-cell research came up, and I expressed my deep concerns about the eventual creation of nascent embryos and then the use of them in laboratory experiments. The state of California recently committed 3 billion taxpayer dollars, over the strenuous objections of many of us, to this experimentation.
Boone thinks like many of us today, that embryonic stem cells hold some sort of key to all our ailments. However, the moral dilemma that many individuals have with using embryos fuels the controversy. It seems as if the only thing keeping us from making great medical strides and developing advanced and effective treatments for illnesses that are incurable, is money to do the research needed to find the answers, and the elimination of any moral and religious debate. This has been the underlying principle behind embryonic stem cell research as Boone describes.
The rationale, the hope, is that pure embryonic stem cells might be effective in treating dire conditions like Parkinson’s, cancer, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease. There’s no proof, just the hope and projections of eager scientists and many large medical companies, and the very understandable desire of so many whose lives are affected by these and other maladies. The yearnings to find cures, somehow, somewhere, are overriding the moral questions about actually fertilizing a human egg with a human sperm, creating a life (obviously, if the new creation isn’t living, it’s useless)
With the controversy surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells, the above headline may come as a shock. The recent veto by President George Bush that denied extra federal funding for research conducted on embryonic stem cells, along with the clamor and backlash the decision faced from scientists, politicians, and various institutions, has all but confirmed the importance of embryonic stem cells. Is that not right? Perhaps not, as commentator Pat Boone recently found out. The fact is, embryonic stem cells may not be as important as we all think.
A couple of months ago, I was in downtown Los Angeles, at the courthouse, doing my jury duty for several days. There are always breaks and lulls, during which time hundreds of participants can and do talk and get to know each other. I actually enjoyed it.
During one of those breaks, I was electrified by a conversation with an L.A. scientist/engineer/businessman named John. Somehow the subject of embryonic stem-cell research came up, and I expressed my deep concerns about the eventual creation of nascent embryos and then the use of them in laboratory experiments. The state of California recently committed 3 billion taxpayer dollars, over the strenuous objections of many of us, to this experimentation.
Boone thinks like many of us today, that embryonic stem cells hold some sort of key to all our ailments. However, the moral dilemma that many individuals have with using embryos fuels the controversy. It seems as if the only thing keeping us from making great medical strides and developing advanced and effective treatments for illnesses that are incurable, is money to do the research needed to find the answers, and the elimination of any moral and religious debate. This has been the underlying principle behind embryonic stem cell research as Boone describes.
The rationale, the hope, is that pure embryonic stem cells might be effective in treating dire conditions like Parkinson’s, cancer, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease. There’s no proof, just the hope and projections of eager scientists and many large medical companies, and the very understandable desire of so many whose lives are affected by these and other maladies. The yearnings to find cures, somehow, somewhere, are overriding the moral questions about actually fertilizing a human egg with a human sperm, creating a life (obviously, if the new creation isn’t living, it’s useless)
Tags: Commentary, DNA, Eliminate, ethics, Rejection
Posted in Adult Stem Cells