Alright, I'm going to take the quiz that was recently posted on wvconfidential.com regarding the President's recent veto a bill that would have permitted federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Bush promised to veto the legislation and did so and Congress did not have the votes to override the veto. Anyway, here's the quiz:
1. What is the age that embryonic stem cells are harvested? Ummm...well, very very young I would say. Pre-zero?
2. What is the Hinxton Group? A group that has developed a guideline of legal and ethical concerns for embryonic stem cell research.
3. How many of the current 206 government-funded stem cell projects currently use human embyronic stem cells? That would probably be Zero.
4. What two states currently fund stem cell research? California and New Jersey
5. Am I wearing pants? Ummmm...knowing you, probably not.
Okay...now that I have completed the quiz, I will tackle this highly controversial topic. And, I'll try to keep it very brief. First, There is zero evidence that Embryonic Stem Cell (ESC) Research will provide any benefit whatsoever. Words like "could" and "potential" and "luck" sound good but they don't cure a disease. There is potential that I will win $1 million tomorrow and retire. And I could get hit by a bus on my way out the door today. I'm not sure what luck means. But, let me make that point again: There is zero evidence that ESC Research will provide any benefit whatsoever. There hasn't even been a trial yet with Adult Stem Cells to point to as possible success.
Second, Josephine Quintavalle, of Comment on Reproductive Ethics, has stated that the use of adult stem cells (ASC) from sources such as umbilical cord blood had consistently produced more promising results than the use of embryonic stem cells. Dumping money into ESC research will draw money away from ASC and umbilical cord research. At least that's the argument.
Third, and really this probably should be first, the Pro-Life movement is concerned about the use of embroyos because that is a human life...and therapeutic cloning could lead to reproductive cloning...yada, yada, yada...abortion.
With all that said I will give you my shocking conclusion after the break...stay tuned...
I am actually in favor of limited Embryonic Stem Cell Research as long as it is closely monitored and regulated. Once again, there is no evidence that ESC research will yield the miracle cures that have been promised but it is definitely worth the research to see. Perhaps it will be a failure but as long as abortion is legal and humans aren't be cloned, restrictions should be loosened.
I understand people standing up for their convictions and some people believe that this research is wrong. But the potential (and I knocked that word earlier) that the research could create a better life for so many people make it worth it. So, that's my shocking stance on Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Just don't ever ask me about it again...
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