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Stem cell research is still in it's infancy. While no exact cures have been made available as wide spread treament yet there are some incredibly promising early results out there. For instance in spinal cord injury (not severed cords as of yet) stem cells have been able to generate nerve cells and some sensation has been regained, with out more funding to refine and duplicate the findings the research will not proceed. In heart patients stem cells have been able to generate new cardiac muscle in areas where cardiac muscle has been lost to ischemia, again with out more funding this research will not continue. These are just two examples of what stem cells may be able to do....and it was thought that once human growth stops that muscle and nerve growth does as well....so this is a big WOW in the medical field. If the government doesn't step in the privately funded research will target only those diseases which will generate the biggest incomes for them. This is already a huge problems for people who are victim of what is termed "orphan" diseases because there is no money in finding therapies or for pharmacutical companies to produce the medications that are available. As GCS said...if the government doesn't get involved then only those with very liberal insurance coverage or the very rich will be able to obtain these treatments. Ethically speaking I think it is unethical to allow so many to die to save a bunch of cells in a test tube. Not to mention that there is supposed to be a separation of church and state in this country to begin with.
I'm not sure if you have kids or not, but let me put it to you this way: If one of your children had an ailment that could possibly be cured or its effects greatly reduced by stem cell research how would you feel then? If the government was stopping everything in your path to the well-being of your child how would feel then? Now, put yourself in those shoes and that's what thousands of parents are trying to push for. They want their kids to live everyday lives because they have never gotten the chance to. There are some less fortunate out there that don't have that chance but may.
But, the Christian groups in America are putting a halt to the process. Of all the people in this country, I would think Christians would understand sacrificing for the greater good. After all, isn't that what Jesus did?????????
Yes, I have children. I can can completely empathize w/ the pain, suffering and tragedy of illness. I stated just earlier that my mother, age 69 is (now) a brittle diabetic (she was diagnosed at 22 w/ juvenile diabetes). Neither she, nor my father, nor myself support embryonic stem cell research, even if it claims a potential cure for her.....we are all opposed on a moral and ethical stance.
From a moral reasoning viewpoint, it is never okay to destroy one human life in order for another human being to benefit.
Yes, I have children. I can can completely empathize w/ the pain, suffering and tragedy of illness. I stated just earlier that my mother, age 69 is (now) a brittle diabetic (she was diagnosed at 22 w/ juvenile diabetes). Neither she, nor my father, nor myself support embryonic stem cell research, even if it claims a potential cure for her.....we are all opposed on a moral and ethical stance.
From a moral reasoning viewpoint, it is never okay to destroy one human life in order for another human being to benefit.
I agree and yes, I was a parent. beth ann's last statement sums it up pretty well I think. Hopefully, science will explore other, more ethical means of obtaining and using stem cells.
Stem cell research is still in it's infancy. While no exact cures have been made available as wide spread treament yet there are some incredibly promising early results out there. For instance in spinal cord injury (not severed cords as of yet) stem cells have been able to generate nerve cells and some sensation has been regained, with out more funding to refine and duplicate the findings the research will not proceed. In heart patients stem cells have been able to generate new cardiac muscle in areas where cardiac muscle has been lost to ischemia, again with out more funding this research will not continue. These are just two examples of what stem cells may be able to do....and it was thought that once human growth stops that muscle and nerve growth does as well....so this is a big WOW in the medical field. If the government doesn't step in the privately funded research will target only those diseases which will generate the biggest incomes for them. This is already a huge problems for people who are victim of what is termed "orphan" diseases because there is no money in finding therapies or for pharmacutical companies to produce the medications that are available. As GCS said...if the government doesn't get involved then only those with very liberal insurance coverage or the very rich will be able to obtain these treatments. Ethically speaking I think it is unethical to allow so many to die to save a bunch of cells in a test tube. Not to mention that there is supposed to be a separation of church and state in this country to begin with.
You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to irishmom again. But of course...
Yes, I have children. I can can completely empathize w/ the pain, suffering and tragedy of illness. I stated just earlier that my mother, age 69 is (now) a brittle diabetic (she was diagnosed at 22 w/ juvenile diabetes). Neither she, nor my father, nor myself support embryonic stem cell research, even if it claims a potential cure for her.....we are all opposed on a moral and ethical stance.
From a moral reasoning viewpoint, it is never okay to destroy one human life in order for another human being to benefit.
I don't mean any disrespect by saying this but, in regards to a child with autism or asperger's syndrome your mother has lived a good long life. These children haven't.
I have to say as someone who has lived with type one diabetes her entire life, yes I have a great life, but with MANY road blocks that aren't my fault (As in I don't have a problem with dieting and the other stigma's that go with diabetes). You shouldn't even begin to compare diseases. They are all difficult in their own way and hard not just on the people but have them, but all of their families.
I am for stem cell research but again it depends on where the stem cells are coming from. Our country will be on the slow end of the discoveries as researchers in other nations are working hard to cure so many different diseases. I still think we should be careful with the ethics of it all. I want the kids with Autism and diabetes, those with MS and Ahlziemers to have a shot at a life without all the craziness that comes with it.
Upon what authority do you base this? Stem cell research is in its infancy. We do not know if umbilical cells are better or worse than embryonic cells. Nobody has 'promised' anything. Scientists have only said that the research is 'promising'. Not the same thing at all.
Show me a solid authority (yes, I am asking for something peer-reveiwed and accepted by the consensus of the scientific community) that says that embryonic stem cells have not worked, or are not as good as other types, and I will change my stance. But I doubt that you can do so.
Quote:
Originally Posted by beth ann
stemcellresearch.org/facts/treatments.htm
Good try. Reps for you.
Too bad the site is biased, and simply wrong.
I did a Proquest search and found 2525 articles on Stem Cells in scholarly journals. Lots of them were incomprehensible to anybody without a biology degree, such as:
Interleukin 1 receptor antagonist mediates the antiinflammatory and antifibrotic effect of mesenchymal stem cells during lung injury
Here is an easily accessible link showing promise of embryonic stem cells.
I also found a number of articles similar to this:
Derivation of engraftable skeletal myoblasts from human embryonic stem cells
I won't bore you with the abstract, but it goes on to say that ESC are very promising.
You also should note that on the list of papers on your linked site, most of them are 2001 or before. Which makes sense, as ESC research is pretty new, so it has not had the same chance to show results as ASC research. Plus, ESC research has been crippled because of the lack of federal funding, a burden not imposed on ASC research.
One thing that I did read in my various searches is the reason for using ESC vs ASC. The problem with ASC is that they are limited in their differentiation, which basically means that a ASC that has become a nerve cell (this is why it is adult vs embryonic) can only become other types of nerve cells. Same thing for blood type cells, etc. ESC can become ANYTHING in the human body. It seems that some types of ASC simply do not exist to be harvested. ESC simply go directly to Xtype tissue, and there are no Xtype stem cells. Therefore ASC research would not benefit some types of human diseases, but ESC research could ultimately benefit.
If you could travel back in time to 1938, would you let Hitler live?
Are you against the Iraq war?
There are clear and obvious reasons when it is ok to destroy a human life for another's benefit. Self defense is one commonly cited example.
We disagree on much , but I have to agree with you here.
Like Irish said...
"Ethically speaking I think it is unethical to allow so many to die to save a bunch of cells in a test tube."
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, but I have to agree with you here. 
