Stem cell research and the future

nordique14 · #1 07-19-2006, 06:13 PM

Hypothetical...
20 years from now cures have been found for several fatal diseases by the use of stem cells. If the people who currently think using stem cells is equivalent to murder contract one of these fatal diseases, will they choose to take the cure? Will they take an early death (but go to heaven) or will they choose to prolong their life (and go to hell)?

-Matt

Suby Fan · #2 07-19-2006, 06:21 PM

i love bush politics... you cant kill a buch of cells grouped togeather but who cares if i send 3000 american troops to die for no real reason! i think for the most part 20 years down the road even the most religeus will be excepting of live saving procedures... and probly be thanking god for it... cept for christian scientists

Noir · #3 07-28-2006, 05:06 PM

i :heart: god not medicine.

NikFu S. · #4 07-28-2006, 06:20 PM

All I have to say is religious fanaticism has done nothing for the world, whereas the opposite half is the reason we are where we are.

I don't see how we can answer the question. Who knows what a random person would choose.

lhopp77 · #5 07-28-2006, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suby Fan

i love bush politics... you cant kill a buch of cells grouped togeather but who cares if i send 3000 american troops to die for no real reason! i think for the most part 20 years down the road even the most religeus will be excepting of live saving procedures... and probly be thanking god for it... cept for christian scientists

Bush HAS NOT STOPPED stem cell research. He has simply precluded spending federal dollars----OUR TAX MONEY, for it. Private institutions, medical companies, pharmaceutical companies, etc, etc, etc can do all the research they want. There is no law against that. Just get the record straight.

Lee

elvis · #6 08-01-2006, 07:37 AM

We live in a capitalist society. That means that (in theory) everything should be driven by profit. If the government funds stem cell research, they own the results, and the profit motive would be removed.

Private funding means that the first one to "get there" patents the technology and makes billions. Sure, the first products are so expensve that few can afford them, but once the money has been made and the economies of scale kick-in, everyone can share in the benefits.

NapaBavarian · #7 08-01-2006, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lhopp77

Bush HAS NOT STOPPED stem cell research. He has simply precluded spending federal dollars----OUR TAX MONEY, for it...
Lee

Yes, he needed to save money here for the corparate welfare on oil and tobaco companies.

lhopp77 · #8 08-01-2006, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NapaBavarian

Yes, he needed to save money here for the corparate welfare on oil and tobaco companies.

A very interesting statement. If you will please, list the laws that have changed under Bush relative to the oil and tobacco companies.

Lee

NapaBavarian · #9 08-01-2006, 08:13 PM

I wouldn't call it anything new, but it seems that stem cell reasearch could actually be worth the money, but Mr Bush seems to prefer throwing the fertalized eggs away because it would be terible to actually experiment on a prehuman destined for the roundfile.

It isn't perfect and it has its drawbacks, I don't totally disagree with his thought process, but what dosn't? Morally wrong is beyond my understanding since morals are personal, now I see more than ever that we really need the seperation of church and state!

As long as we are taking things out of context, one of the 10 commandments states "thou shall not kill"

Is does not quallify the statement, it seems to be taken more as "thou shall not kill a fellow christian who shares your views" the the literal translation of "thou shall not kill humans, animals or plants, just go starve to death!"

Landshark · #10 08-01-2006, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NapaBavarian

perhaps through stem cell reseach, "special needs people" can learn to use the internets.

nordique14 · #11 08-01-2006, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lhopp77

Bush HAS NOT STOPPED stem cell research. He has simply precluded spending federal dollars----OUR TAX MONEY, for it. Private institutions, medical companies, pharmaceutical companies, etc, etc, etc can do all the research they want. There is no law against that. Just get the record straight.

Lee

Remember the 55mph speed limit back in the 70s? How did we end up with a national speed limit when each state sets its own speeds? The Feds passed a bill that would not allow funding to states where the limit was greater than 55mph. A few states held out for a while but in the end money talked and soon we all drove 55.

The feds are the greatest funder of medical research. So although there is (currently) no law banning stem cell research, the lack of federal funds has effectively brought stem cell research to a trickle instead of a torrent.

-Matt

nordique14 · #12 08-04-2006, 04:07 PM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060804/...lls_funding_dc

Quote:

Stem cell experts say state funding not enough By Joanne Morrison

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top embryonic stem cell scientists warned on Friday that state and private funding, following President George W. Bush's veto of a bill to expand federal funding and research, was not enough to keep the United States at the forefront of research in the field.

Their comments came as scientists faced their fifth year working under policy set by Bush that limits federally funded research to 78 existing embryonic stem-cell lines, most of which are inadequate for research.

"Unfortunately, national policy has prevented the unfettered study in this area," said John Gearhart of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, speaking on a panel hosted by the Center for American Progress, the political think tank headed by John Podesta, a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton.

"If this work had been funded robustly, we would be much further along in our goals," Gearhart said, predicting advances could more likely take place in other countries where there are fewer restrictions.

The human body has 220 types of cells. Eight years ago, scientists in Wisconsin were the first to isolate and cultivate in a lab the one special type of cell from embryonic tissue that is capable of forming all other types of cells.

While scientists hope those cells one day can be used to cure a wide range of diseases by essentially directing the human body to repair itself, research has been caught up in a political cross-fire.

TOUGH OPPOSITION

Embryonic stem cell research is opposed by religious groups and some conservative politicians because the research destroys human embryos.

Only a small fraction of funding at the federal government's National Institutes of Health has been earmarked for human embryonic stem cell research, just $38 million of NIH's $28.6 billion budget in fiscal 2006.

Just last month, Bush cast his first veto on a bipartisan bill to expand embryonic research. "It crosses a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect," he said.

A handful of states, including California and Wisconsin, have enacted their own funding measures for research. That has been applauded by researchers, but they caution it is still not enough.

"It's very difficult to think back on any major scientific breakthrough that has been funded by state money only," said David Scadden professor of medicine at Harvard University and co-director of Harvard's Stem Cell Institute.

NapaBavarian · #13 08-04-2006, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Landshark

perhaps through stem cell reseach, "special needs people" can learn to use the internets.

But you are already using the internet

did I miss something? When did we get multiple?

Electrophil · #14 08-06-2006, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NapaBavarian

Yes, he needed to save money here for the corparate welfare on oil and tobaco companies.

He's running out of room on our credit cards. He couldn't decide between a gift for us or for himself. But he had to decide..... because he is the decider.

DreamingOfSpeed · #15 08-06-2006, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lhopp77

Bush HAS NOT STOPPED stem cell research. He has simply precluded spending federal dollars----OUR TAX MONEY, for it. Private institutions, medical companies, pharmaceutical companies, etc, etc, etc can do all the research they want. There is no law against that. Just get the record straight.

Lee

What better idea can there be for spending tax payers money that advancing medical science by finding new cures to help save peoples lives? Why would we choose a clump of cells that would be thrown away anyway over a the millions of lives it could save? The embryos that would be used are those that parents have frozen and no longer need b/c they have reached the number of children they want, what better way for them to 'dispose' of the unneed embryos than to give them a chance to save a living breathing human being's life? It doesnt hurt the embryos, they have no pain receptors nor any idea they are alive or dead as they have no brain. I for one would rather see my eggs put to good use than just thrown away or sold to mothers who cant use her own (yes, when a woman DONATES eggs or embryos to a clinic they are SOLD to the infertile couple.) I fail to see a down side to federal funding for stem cell research.