A calm and reasoned look at Obama's embryonic stem cell research decision

Provided for us by Charles Lehardy at AnotherThink:

Yes, we can. That was the mantra of the Obama candidacy, and so far, the guiding principle of his young administration. Yes we can cut the brake lines and burn rubber in a science muscle car unrestrained by moral caution, humility or photo radar. What could go wrong?

Yes we can farm human embryos for human adult spare parts. Yes we can. Yes we can. And yes, we will.

But should we? Despite the President's assurances that embryonic experimentation is good for America, there are plenty of doubters, and not just on the right.

"The Administration's policy change does not answer the central question: Do human embryos, which are clearly alive, constitute a life or mere property? If an embryo is a life, and I believe strongly that it is life, then no government has the right to sanction their destruction for research purposes." — Senator Sam Brownback, D-Kansas

Science, cheered on by the President and our medical-industrial complex, would rather not consider Brownback's inconvenient question. If embryos are not mere property, science, and society, might just have to exercise self-restraint. "No we shouldn't" sounds like something our parents might have said. Worse, it's what the Bush administration said!

President Obama is being dishonest, or at least misleading, to claim that he is making possible "promising embryonic stem cell research." Sen. Brownback has the facts on his side when he points out that "After a decade of private and public research around the world, embryonic stem cell research... has yet to yield any clinical trials or any real-world successes..."

In fact, embryonic stem cells have proven far worse than ineffective — they can be dangerous.

There's more and it's worthy.

AnotherThink ought to be a regular stop on your tour of the blogosphere.

Comments

[chuck aka xtnyoda]

If you don't even have enough courage to say that a baby that somehow survives a botched abortion shouldn't just be thrown into the dirty towel bin to die alone... without compassion or care... then what the heck is the big deal about a simple, single, stem cell?

When you endorse the absurd there is little hope for the sublime.

little hope...

[Morgan K Freeberg]

Adult stem cells are less risky because the body doesn't reject them (they are harvested from the very patient they are used in) and they are not likely to spawn tumors, a serious problem so far in animal experimentation with embryonic cells.

Mmmmm...metaphorical for the situation that immediately confronts us, with regard to our new, young administration. The whole thing seems to have all the characteristics of an experiment. A reckless, brash, tumor-spawning experiment.

[Locutisprime]

The only experiment that I see from this administration? Is just how much can they get away with before the people rebel.

Obama is hell bent to reverse anything and everything associated with a Bush legacy.

The messianic one is not the first emperor to attempt to erase the memory of a predecessor. And this is just one example of the multi level attack that is being pursued to that end now.

They don't care what the realities are, just as long as they can strike a blow against all that revolts them and George Bush revolted them.