Pentagon Bankrolls Swedish Stem Cell Study

Well let's see,

Sounds like the Pentagon is going behind the Bush's back,
or Shrub just made the law to please the Moral Majority.
Shady politics and illegal expenditure of government funds,
Arrest Rummy!


STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The Pentagon has granted $240,000 to a Swedish team for embryonic stem-cell research linked to Parkinson's disease, the researchers said on Wednesday, despite U.S. government limits on stem-cell research.

In a statement, Lund University in southern Sweden said the U.S. Department of Defense was supporting the Swedish Parkinson's study because the findings could be used to treat similar neurological illnesses caused by battlefield toxins etc.....

President Bush has forbidden the use of federal funds to manipulate or create human embryos for research and limited scientific research to a few existing batches of cells taken from fertility clinic leftovers.

Opponents, including Bush, say any use of a human embryo amounts to murder and is unethical. Critics are pushing for legislation in the United States that would outlaw the practice completely. etc.....

www.reuters.com...;jsessionid=
HTRWYTA0C1M1ECRBAEZSFEY?type=scienceNews&storyID=
4587694

What do you think

Not that I am in any way supporting the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research- but still, it is important that things not be taken out of context:

The ban DOES allow the use of Fed. funds when using embryonic stem cell lines that were created prior to the passing of the ban. The research lab in Switzerland is using stem cell lines from this group of stem cell lines-> so, the military is not, in fact, breaking the law. Federal funding for research using these types of stem cell lines, is allowed.

Think about it this way. Stem cell reseach is going to happen somewhere in the world weither the US wants it to happen or not and the ones who make the breakthroughs (and profits) are those that do the studies. The US administration hates it when any group or country gets the one up on them concerning technology. So even if it is popular to ban it currently, you can be sure that the US is going to find a way to have access to those breakthroughs before others do.

What all this controversy is doing is sending our best doctors to another countries the results that this doctors are getting on others countries are very good and the only people that can benefit from it is the very rich.

I THINK WE PEOPLE FROM THE USA NEED TO MIND OUR OWN F***iNG BussinESS...


(the above is a self censored statement if you find it offensive U2U me and i will change it thanks ~EVIL~)

CBS Sunday Morning did a story today on the status of stem cell research.
www.cbsnews.com...

Part of the story: Bush's stand against the research, prominant anti-choice senator Orin Hatch's stance in favor of stem cell research.

Nancy Reagan's plea to Dubya falls on deaf(closed)ears. That's some real compasionate conservativism!!!

tut,

THANK GOD!

And I just got through reading a very interesting article on Nancy Reagan's efforts which stated she has been in the ear of some of the Bush administration on this restriction.

I hope saner minds will reign - before they too are afflicted by the thought-thieving diseases this could arrest, or even prevent.

"Face The Nation" just did follow-up story. Arlen Specter touting the pro side!

I don't see Bush relenting on this. He's too far in The Anti-Choice camp to give in. I hope Mrs. Reagan stays with the fight! This is Her ultimate opportunity to leave more to Her Husband's Legacy, though the credit(God Willing!), should belong to Her.

This type of stem cell technology is here to stay IMO, whatever the opinions of the government and ourselves may be. Overseas, especially in Japan & China, great advances are being made in this field.

US scientists are understandably rather upset by the attitude in their own country, which they say was really the first in the technology. But maybe all is not lost while venture capitalists put their money where their mouth are.Wired. com published an article which said in part


" they're contributing through efforts like the California Stem Cell Initiative. If the initiative passes in November, the political climate for embryonic stem-cell research will likely be more agreeable, at least in California".

Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, the venture firm that launched the biotech industry when it invested in a little startup called Genentech, has donated $500,000 to the California Stem Cell Initiative. If it passes in November, the bond measure will give $295 million per year to stem-cell researchers in California over 10 years. Silicon Valley venture capitalists and their families have contributed almost $2 million to the campaign, which gathered 1 million signatures, twice as many as necessary to get on the November ballot.

Full story at

www.wired.com...

[edit on 25/7/04 by Bastet]