Stem cells

Is stem cell research murder or the key to unlocking scientific mysteries...or both? Are you for or against and why....

Whether or not embryonic stem cells should be used for research is hardly the issue, although the christians and activists want everything to think it is.

The real issue is who should pay for the research? Researchers without funding want the government to pay for it, but the government doesnt pay for cancer research, so why should it be expected to pay for stem cells? What keeps getting shoved to the back page is embryos may possess the optimal type and quality of stem cells, but suitable cells can also be retrieved from bone marrow and other sources.

But since everyone is all up in arms about the whole aborted fetus's being used, my opinion is that by all means use them. If you want to call it murder (I don't) fine. Atleast allow their deaths to be towards a purpose, a greater good, rather than an addition to a pile of bio-waste.

Originally posted by apc
The real issue is who should pay for the research? Researchers without funding want the government to pay for it, but the government doesnt pay for cancer research, so why should it be expected to pay for stem cells?

The government doesn't pay for cancer research? You must be joking. The government spends huge sums of money on cancer research... they're called grants... NIH, NSF, NCI, etc. Where do you think people get funding to do research?

Precisely.
The gov provides grants to cancer research firms and universities but does not directly mandate and fund the research. With stem cells, the departments who don't receive these grants want the gov to pay for it anyway.

Originally posted by _Uforia_
Is stem cell research murder or the key to unlocking scientific mysteries...or both? Are you for or against and why....

As long as the stem cells are not from dead babies then its ok. Im for it if its not from babies. There are other places to get stem cells.

Im the same as croat.
There are many other places to get stem cells other than embrioes (sp?).
As long as they are obtained from places other that stem cells im ok with it.

Cord blood anyone?

Originally posted by apc
The gov provides grants to cancer research firms and universities but does not directly mandate and fund the research. With stem cells, the departments who don't receive these grants want the gov to pay for it anyway.

How is soliciting applications for grants, and then funding those that meet your specific criteria not mandating and funding the research?

With respect to Stem cells: If you've got a Stem cell line you want to use in your cancer research, and the gov't says, No we won't fund this research because it involves Stem cells... well, that's just dumb. Stem cells exist, we might as well use them. The federal gov't is willing to fund all kinds of black ops operations that don't have the publics best interest in mind. They don't want to fund Stem cells because of the political fallout. That's the wrong reason to not fund potentially valuable research.

Originally posted by llama009
Im the same as croat.
There are many other places to get stem cells other than embrioes (sp?).
As long as they are obtained from places other that stem cells im ok with it.

Cord blood anyone?

Finally someone who agrees with me on something