Obama To Lift Restrictions On Embryonic Stem Cell Research
At least the Washington Post’s headline mentions that the story is about ESCs, unlike so many headlines around the country, such as the New York Times’ (Obama Set to Reverse Bush’s Stem-Cell Restrictions) which simply mention stem cells in an obvious attempt to make it appear as if Bush was restricting all stem cell research
President Obama’s decision to lift restrictions on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research, scheduled to be announced Monday, is expected to provide a major boost to one of the most promising but controversial fields of biomedical research in generations.
Promising? So far, research using adult, placental, and other stem cell lines have produced a long, long, long list of treatments, medicines, and cures, without those pesky teratomas produced using ESCs. Those would also be known as “monster tumors.”
As far as a major boost, yes, it certainly will be for scientists that rely solely on federal funding for their research. Private research has had little interest in ESC research, because of those pesky monster tumors, and the fact that the other stem cell research, particularly adult, has been making them some serious coin, since it works.
The signing of an executive order voiding the restrictions will allow thousands of scientists to study hundreds of lines of cells that have been developed since the limitations were put in place eight years ago. It will also allow them to dismantle cumbersome bureaucracies constructed to work around the constraints and let them exchange scientific ideas more easily.
The restriction was simply from using federal money. Really, other then throwing a bone to the left wing and scientists who can’t survive off the federal dole, what will this accomplish? The restrictions did not stop any scientist from doing research with embryonic stem cells, they just couldn’t use federal money. So, someone tell me what the point is. Science won’t be advanced, just politics. If the research with ESCs actually provided treatments, cures, and/or medicines, I’d be all for it. But, it has been nothing more then a political issue, and worthless as research.
Here’s a nice little fact sheet comparing the benefits of adult stem cell research to embryonic stem cell research.
Others: Jack & Jill Politics, The Gun Toting Liberal, The Corner, NO QUARTER, Liberal Values, The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room, Political Punch, ACSBlog, Swampland and The Moderate Voice
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Posted by William Teach on March 7, 2009 11:02 am
» Filed Under Barack Obama, News, Science/pseudo-science
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10 Responses to “Obama To Lift Restrictions On Embryonic Stem Cell Research”
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The scientists using federal money will have their grants peer-reviewed, which means that if their research is not deemed to be worthwhile, no funding will occur. I sat on peer review panels for years, and the only thing I can tell you about them is that the process is totally honest. Are you against research that uses cells that would otherwise be destroyed to find cures fatal diseases? If stem cells are used for research, then this form of life, human or not, at least had a purpose.
I have no problem with scientific investigation into stem cells, but, we are talking about one specific type, embryonic, which has proven worthless, so, the only folks that are interested need to drink the government money.
Interestingly, the same lefties who complain about doing research on bunnies in order to help human life have no problems destroying human embryos for worthless research.
“The signing of an executive order voiding the restrictions will allow thousands of German scientists to perform medical experiments on Jews and other anti-social parasites that have been stymied due to traditional ethical and legal prohibitions. It will also allow them to dismantle cumbersome bureaucracies constructed to work around the constraints and let them exchange scientific ideas more easily.”
I only changed a few words in above paragraph. Pretty scary, huh?
I have spoken with several scientists in the biological fields and all of them told me that anyone expecting any results of this magnitude from embryonic stem cells was pretty foolish. They told me that embryonic stem cells were a waste of time and money.
As we age, the number and quality of stem cells that circulate in our body gradually decrease, leaving our body more susceptible to injury and other age-related health challenges. StemTech Health Science’s Stem Enhance is the alternative to the controversial stem cells we hear about in the news. Patented Product StemEnhance supports the natural release of stem cells to promote optimal healing and stem cell physiology.
Officials at StemTech Health Sciences were aiming for Stem Enhance sales of $100,000 in the first month. Which was a hearty goal in itself? Imagine their astonishment when the 1st month’s sales totaled over $1,000,000 and it just keeps rising. For more information view a quick movie http://twurl.nl/z5svjt or visit my web http://twurl.nl/ltkzqe
If anything would help my son with stem cells, it would be wonderful. He was and is
a doctor that has saved many lives and delivered babies and brought them into life.
He had a very minor stroke June 10, 2006 and
went to the hosptital in Little Rock and they
gave him a drug he reacted to and then put him in an MRI with stablizing him or monitoring him. He was on a ventilator and
completely under their care at this time and
he had a cardiac arrest and they did not even
know it until his feet had already turned blue. He has spasticity, which I think stem cells might help. He can not talk, walk or eat. He knows everyone and understands everything as far as we can tell,
however he needs help so he can function. He went from seeing approximately 75-85 people a day and delivering 20 babies a month to existing. He lost his past, presence and future. Surely something will help him. Our family is devasted as well as
our little town, county. He has lost everything he had besides his family. I am
71 years of age and I need to know he can function and have some quality of life before something happens to me as I am his caretaker.
I’m not against everything that Pres Obama decides but this is stupid. The break through in stem cell research has already been made and the results will benefit everyone. Much of the main stream press failed to report the break through from the top stem cell scientists in fall of 2007 Listen up! This is completely idiotic and will only create more division. A little research will show you that we have put a “man on the moon” in stem cell research with the currrent knowledge using adult stem cells. They can be replicated. We don’t need to give these federally funded chalatans any money to replicate what has already been accomplished. I’m deeply disappointed in this foolish decision. It is absolutely nonsensical. This is like the government paying for research for a new Polio vaccine two years after both discovered Polio vaccines were proven effective.
MarkJ on March 7th, 2009 9:38 pm
“The signing of an executive order voiding the restrictions will allow thousands of German scientists to perform medical experiments on Jews and other anti-social parasites that have been stymied due to traditional ethical and legal prohibitions. It will also allow them to dismantle cumbersome bureaucracies constructed to work around the constraints and let them exchange scientific ideas more easily.”
I only changed a few words in above paragraph. Pretty scary, huh?
sir, what is your point? You changed a couple of key words so they can have a bigger impact, but still, it leaves little to your explanation. Are you trying to tell us that this is going to bring about the holocaust? No, it will save my friends life one day.
I’m glad you had a great life. A life great enough to tell other people ” hey wait. Dont use those, they WERE embryonic stem cells. We should throw them away instead. Your friends going to die, and thats that. ”
Go to a convalescent home ( which i worked in for a few years ) and you’ll see how messed up diabetes can be. A single cut, will result in you losing that limb.
You wouldn’t believe the amount of people with one leg amputated. And no, most of them weren’t war vets either. How can you sit there comfortably, eating cheerios or whatever you like, going ” they were baaaaabies…. don’t do it to save a life, even if they’re not going to be alive for much longer ” while folks are walking on egg shells while they lived?
You think of yourself as a humanitarian… scary.. huh?
Let’s think of how many Americans are suffering from ailments and what this research can do for them. I’m sure everyone reading this knows someone important to them that is affected by one of these maladies.Research in the U.S.has not progressed since earlier this decade, cures are a very long time away and lets not even discuss the approval requirement by the FDA. At least this can be seen as a huge step forward to join the rest of the world at bringing about cures that could help millions of people including you and I some day.
With any advancements comes sacrafice. Embryonic stem cell research is the missing field that the medical society needs to look into. What about being an organ donor, that’s debateable in itself. I bet if some of those activists had an aliment go wrong and could use the new technology they would. Sit back, listen and maybe even use the results.