i am usually very loud with my opinions, but there is one i have kept quiet about. i dont know why i am, i should be shouting it to the rooftops. i guess that i feel i will have to go into a long, lengthy explanation why i feel the way i do, and i dont think i should have to due to some very personal reasons. yet, it is difficult for me to keep reading about it and not cringe. so, i am putting in my 2 cents. i am against embryonic stem cell research.

maybe i will be able to explain why after i take this step.

Hi Harley

You are a wonderful poet. You really made your self small and quiet with the lower case “i” and the small sentences – but provocative and powerful – leaving us hanging, wondering what was it that made her cringe.

Now, see what you’ve done. i’m going to have to think, really think.
This may take time. guy

Im not against it myself, but I have come to the conclusion that waiting for the political process to make it happen is misleading..Its always going to be a political tug of war between the left and the right, and even if we do get stem cell legislation passed, its progress is always going to depend on who controls Congress, and who the President is, as to how much funding will be appropriated etc..And whos to say that legislation that will undermine the research wont be passed down the road after the fact?..I think depending on the political process is a gamble at best

It doesn't matter your reason. You will always be loved and accepted no matter what opinions you hold. No one will beat you up for "coming out."

Vicky

Ultimately, preventing it here in the U.S. only prevents it here in the U.S. Our prohibition exports the ability to capitalize on it to other nations and we will eventually send our dollars out of the U.S. to buy the products of their efforts. This isn't a moral or ethical assessment. It's just a matter of fact statement that money rules.

Talking about whether it should be legalized or not is just talk. Sure, we could make a statement to the rest of the world if our nation's conviction were that strong, which it isn't. Unfortunately, much of the world outside the U.S. doesn't really care what we have to say. It's probably already legal somewhere and those doing the research will probably keep it quiet until they have something to sell. There are also a lot of people who simply don't care about laws if the money is good.

The real test will come when real cures appear on the market. Those with strong moral convictions may choose to remain sick or die. I suspect the majority, however, will choose to get well and live, because the instinct for survival also rules.

I think I'd rather talk about other things. I'll not post on this topic again.

By the way, I also agree with Vicky.

I am quite proud of the position the UK adopts on such matters.

Indeed we have now allowed the creation of human-animal embryos to be used for research.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6978384.stm

Originally this was opposed by the public however when the question was put in the context of curing diseases the public opinion turned to favour this move.

My concern remains, without the leadership of the global superpower, unregulated practices may arise. The UK has tight controls over escr, Korea showed what can happen when these controls are not in place.

Like "K", don't want an argument, and I respect the opinions of those with different views on the subject.

Each to his/her own,
Neil.

GO ENGLAND (rugby world cup, Le Crunch today).

At this point, I am neither for or against embryonic stem cell research. I do feel that it is an area that needs to be fully explored to determine whether or not embryonic stem cells hold the secrets to a cure for this disease. Enough with the political banter on the subject. Allow the needed all human lines to be created and let's get on with it. Either they will or won't provide a cure. Let's find out one way or the other.

GregD

ok... here goes..

i have had an abortion. i know the side that holds the horrid after effects of guilt associated with it. it does not matter to me if the fetus embryo was used for the betterment of others health. that was not the purpose of its creation. there is a huge arguement that others claim the embryos are not all just from abortions, therefore it is justifyable to use them in research. there are arguements that am embryo is not considered to be a life yet. there is only one purpose that an embryo has been created. only one. and that is so that embryo will become a life. it would not matter if it was created in testtubes, or if it had died during a miscarriage. think of the ramifications of a law legalizing using embryos. there are thousands of people with pd, and thousands more with other conditions that embryonic stem cell could help. yes, money makes the world go around. it is scary what it could turn into. i realize this is a difficult subject for many to discuss. i am not posting this to stand on a platform. if i was given an option for a cure through embryonic stem cell, i would rather go down the road that God has laid out for me. i am not trying to sway others.. im just vocalizing the other side of this issue.

Within my heart you lay still
Not far from the wall
That was your home
Though only for a short while
You had no voice to call to me
Yet I knew of you
It was too easy to let you go
Now, too hard to forget you

You deserved creation
The right to breathe my air
Laugh and feel loved
In a world designed for you
My truths were only temporary
But they extinguished your existence
It was too easy to turn away
From eyes that will never shed tears

From your window, now light
Look down upon me
Know that I think of you
That the forgiveness is not enough
To cover the scar left behind
I bleed alongside of you
It was too easy to close my thoughts
And eject part of my soul.

When I do meet you
It will be when He calls me
The emptiness cannot be filled
By any way other than what is pure.
I am humbled in life’s spirit
Permanent enough to overcome when
It was too easy to pretend that
My choice was more important than yours.

Harley
Your next poem might begin:
I forgive myself,
For God is a merciful God . . .

I did a search under “healing emotionally after an abortion”

http://www.metacrawler.com/info.meta...17/top/-/-/1/1

but I chickened out as far as looking at the content fearing the fanatics and extremists one might encounter before landing on common sense. I am surprised that the topic is not so taboo and that some support may be there; if a person was to land on the right site, book...

In all honesty I don’t know enough about embryonic stem cell research to make a sound argument. I am, however pleased that religious values help keep the moral and ethical components of scientific experimentation in check.

I’m of mixed feelings. I don’t know if I’d have the strength to turn down a cure based on my religious convictions. The questions just get more and more complex. If a panel of scientists were to one day announce that the genetic code of life is all mapped out and we know which markers trigger PD and furthermore how to correct them: is this revelation going to be against biblical teaching? Or are we ushering in a modern age of miracles?

I am also leery of the profit margins of pharmaceutical companies and manufaturers of DBS stimulators and related infrastructures. I am always curious as to who is funding research and how that might taint expected outcomes. On my cynical days I fear that for a cure to surface it must be profitable and industry sustainable. On the more positive note, smart drugs and better methods of medication delivery have got to be just around the corner. I must do a heap more reading to get a better handle on these issues. Thank you Harley for your poem and I wish you more comfort during the emotional and healing side of your journey.
Regards, Guy

Harley - I'm sorry for the trauma you suffered from your abortion. I can imagine why this would influence your opinion on ESCR, and when you are suffering, the facts sometime don't matter. My apologies to you for adding the information below. - Carey

Just a factual statement: embryos from abortion or miscarriage cannot be used in embryonic stem cell research (ESCR). That is because the cells are no longer viable for use after only about 4 DAYS after fertilization. Once they grow beyond the stage of about 100 cells called a blastocyst, the cells begin to differentiate and become neurons or skin or bones, etc.

The reason the very early blastocytic cells are promising is because they are undifferentiated - they are "blank" cells. Thus, the they can be grown into any kind of cell that is needed. For instance, in Chuck Murry's lab at the University of Washington, he can use adult stem cells to promote new blood-based growth (like bone marrow transplants), but he is actually able to grow healthy heart tissue with embryonic cells (he uses "Presidentially Approved" cells of which there are very few). With this process, hearts can heal without scar tissue. They've tried, but failed, to grow new heart muscle with "adult" stem cells.

Fact: cord blood cells, placenta cells, etc. are not viable replacements for embryonic stem cells - they've already become something else.

Fact: stem cells from fetuses or any embryo beyond 4 days old are not viable because they have already become something else.

Fact: researchers want to use only unused eggs fertilized by invitro fertilization that are DONATED by a couple for this purpose.

Fact: ADULT stem cells don't mean they are from an adult; it means they are "differentiated" or past the blastocyst stage.

The pro ESCR side is hurt by language such as "adult" and "embryo" when other, more descriptive terms might be less inflammatory and more truthful.

I think it is fine to oppose ESCR on religious grounds. But please get the facts right, and do not presume to suppose that there is another equal scientific option.

For those of you who are leery of who is funding - that is the very reason the federal NIH was established in the first place - to keep good ethical tabs on medical research. They do a very good job of it. Why should ESCR be pushed to the shadowy realms of privately funded research? But that is exactly what has happened.