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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: KLP who wrote (184443)	10/29/2006 2:10:56 AM
From: zeta1961	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 793745

Stem cells might cause brain tumors Thanks Karen and Euterpe for this discussion..this study you linked regarding brain tumors in rats injected with stem cells is ONE reason I have a problem with the stem cell issue..folk like MJF, Reeves, and pro=scientists are making it seem that embryonic stem cells are the holy grail, without which, we will never find cures to these horrific diseases such as Parkinsons, diabetes, spinal cord injuries(and that it will happen fast!)..meanwhile, even lower animal studies, such as rats have not provided the evidence needed to make these claims....but the negative effects are being minimized, the time it would take(mimimum a decade from what I've read and thats with all going smoothly) and at the same time throwing a wedge between Americans.. Fwiw, I support adult stem cell research and companies working to this end(I am long this co).. Message 22216776 I also very much worry that because of the controversy in our country, it becomes too easy to fudge results by the scientists as it did in Asia..

To: KLP who wrote (184443)	10/29/2006 9:02:43 AM
From: Rambi	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 793745

The first place I went yesterday was the MFF to read the material, in search of anything mentioning the use of near full-term babies as a stemcell farm, which of course was not there. Only a vague statement about ethical use- and that's the issue you now seem to be raising. Stating Fox is for something that extreme without hard evidence (which is the root of evidently) is imo a politician's rhetorical trick. It would be like saying I am for using religious music in the schools to evangelize and convert children to Jesus just because I don't want to exclude reigious music from the curriculum. I have never said that I wanted to convert anyone, but evidently I do, since I haven't said otherwise. However, it could sure rile up the base of anti-religious anything. It's a pretty unfair thing to assume unless you can offer something besides the absence of a statement to the contrary. But that's an aside. I am not the poster girl for stemcell research defense! My original post was about the inappropriate and ill-advised choice of tactics used by Rush on the topic. I have no idea how we got so far afield. As for stemcell, I am not a scientist, but my doctor believes that there is great promise in the research. Is it the Holy Grail, as zeta asks? What ever is? But I don't fault anyone who suffers from a terminal or debilitating condition for pushing hard for anything that offers hope. It is still very early days in the research. Ethically, I have no problems with using an undifferentiated cell cluster that hasn't even implanted and would be destroyed anyway, if the parents agree to donate it. None at all. Slippery slopes are everywhere, as are unethical people who will attempt to exploit anything they can for money. One hopes that controls and laws will be in place to keep this to a minimum. I am not in favor of limiting progress because evil people could misuse it. It is far too early in the studies to draw definitive conclusions as to the possible applications or efficacy of all this. I am sure someone else could point to the studies that were equally promising, but why bother. I have no interest in, or ability for, trying to "prove" anything. I think Bush is politically quite wise in being careful on the issue. I may disagree with his reasoning, but I believe caution and the gathering of facts is crucial to any decision, and I only wish he had done more of it in other areas. (couldn't resist, sorry).