ok. Like I said a bizzilion times. Adult stem cells. They do not carry the ethical problems, and more importantly have been proven to work. The principle advantage of embryonic stem cells is their pluripotency, but in the last few years it has been shown that adult cells can be reprogrammed to be pluripotent. It's not a matter of being cold hearted. Its a matter of supporting a consistent ethic on life. If it is to be respected at all it must be universally respected. Otherwise we are making arbitrary judgments of when life matters and when it doesn't. That is not a world I want to live in. And it is not the whole process I object to. It is the process of making 5 embryos when only 1 is to be used. It is wasteful and disgusting. Religion nothing. It is the science of embryology. The experts agree: So the question is not when human life begins, when something becomes a person, or any other such gobeldy gook. The real question is when should a human being be protected by the law, and anyone who says it is not at conception has set up some arbitrary criteria. Yeah. I agree. There is a difference between a part and a whole. What I am contending is that an embryo does constitute human life. That is basic science. No objection here. I object to embryos being created then destroyed in the name of advancement. Yeah. There is a difference between what is right and what is lawful. I am about fixing that. No. I said what the experts are saying, and where the field is moving. I said we have moved beyond the period where embryonic cells offered us something unique, and I know this because a friend of mine's name is on the white paper that says so, and he explained it to me in little words I understand.
i actually think supa's logic is rock solid. but as red stated, i dont agree that life is sacred just because. i applaud you both for your insight. carry on, gentlemen.
UPDATE 2-First patient treated in Geron stem cell trial | Reuters This vindicates my earlier statement that ESC have not been used to date in any kind of human therapy. I do hope very sincerely that this therapy works, though I don't like the idea of using human embryos, especially when ASC have proven to be far more pluripotent than scientists had imagined. I hope they have developed a method to control the growth of the cells to prevent the formation of tumors and a solution to cell rejection. As it should be.
there are points on both sides of this issue. a wise man once said that not every issue is black and white. it is obviously stupid to restrict these stem cells. but really they are not really restricted, juts from government funding. research is still done privately. and private research is where its at, anyways.
I'm pretty sure ESC research has been going on for 50+ yrs. Where's the cures? Big pharma just wants us to pay for all their research, then rob us again selling the results(we bought already) back to us.
Stem Cell Transplant Cures HIV In 'Berlin Patient' too bad that only rich people will be able to afford treatment.
