New Hope for Stem Cell Research

ExE122 writes "A new scientific breakthrough allows scientists to harvest stem cells without harming the embryo. From the article: ''We have shown that we can not only generate stem cells without destroying the embryo, but that the remaining embryo also has the potential to go to on create a healthy blastocyst' said Dr Lanza, whose team's research is published in Nature. Asked if he expected the advance to satisfy President Bush, Dr Lanza said: 'Well, as you know, the President objects to the fact that you would be sacrificing one life to save another, and in this instance there is no harm to the embryo.''"

Comments

Re:Yay! (Sort of)

[Anonymous Coward]

Unless you've impregnated a women with every single sperm you've ever produced, your wasting potential life. You hypocrite.

mod parent underrated, lol

[Travoltus]

That was good.

On the other hand, I can imagine a whole lot of pro-choicers refusing to have these stem cells because no embryos were destroyed. They're utterly obsessed with aborting something, anything. Ok, as long as it isn't a non-human animal, that is. "I support fetal experimentation, but don't you dare club a baby seal!"

One side blames fetuses for all their problems and is obsessed with picking on the weak who can't fight back. The other side wants to save all babies and then let them fight for the remaining petty economic scraps or starve in the free market afterwards.

Hypocrites, all of them.

This won't change his mind

[Anonymous Coward]

The President could give two shits about whether or not harvesting stem cells hurts the embryo. It's been a convenient rallying point that gets people voting Republican. If the party can continue to make it a rallying point by talking about "tampering with life"*, they'll do it.

* talking point phrase coming soon from a think tank near you.

Re:Irrelevant

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

Pro-life people are generally against cloning. I don't understand the objection if no embryo is destroyed, but it does bring up some difficult issues regarding souls.

Souls are a made up concept. They were created by people as a kind of adult pacifier, to stop people fretting that once they die they will entierely cease to exist. Utterly. The thought is so unsettling that people latch onto a complete fantasy to comfort and reassure themselves. Namely and intangible, unobservable, immaterial "thing" that is your "life essence", and it will go on after you die.

It's the same kind of denial as people who believe that all parallel lines never intersect of that the universe is "fair". Delve deep enough and only your own doublethink can convince you that either of these facts is absolute. Emotion is physical, memory is physical, thought is physical. There is no magic force, and if there was, eternity means floating around as an unthinking blob with no memory forever.

Oh wait! Silly me. I can't prove souls "don't" exist. Just ignore all the above and return to your regular viewing.