President Bush Promotes Ethical Stem Cell Research

On Wed 19 July 2006 President Bush vetoed a bill for the 1st time since he took office in 2001. What bill was it? A bill that would have expanded research using embryonic stem cells, H.R. 810, the "Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005. I have to say, Thank God for President Bush's wisdom in this action. OK, I know that this is very contriversial. & it is only because of the plethora of misinformation out there. But, before I deal with the misinformation I want to share a part of the President's veto message. In it he answers those criticisms.

"Like all Americans, I believe our Nation must vigorously pursue the tremendous possibilities that science offers to cure disease and improve the lives of millions. Yet, as science brings us ever closer to unlocking the secrets of human biology, it also offers temptations to manipulate human life and violate human dignity. Our conscience and history as a Nation demand that we resist this temptation. With the right scientific techniques and the right policies, we can achieve scientific progress while living up to our ethical responsibilities.

In 2001, I set forth a new policy on stem cell research that struck a balance between the needs of science and the demands of conscience. When I took office, there was no Federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research. Under the policy I announced 5 years ago, my Administration became the first to make Federal funds available for this research, but only on embryonic stem cell lines derived from embryos that had already been destroyed. My Administration has made available more than $90 million for research of these lines. This policy has allowed important research to go forward and has allowed America to continue to lead the world in embryonic stem cell research without encouraging the further destruction of living human embryos.

H.R. 810 would overturn my Administration's balanced policy on embryonic stem cell research. If this bill were to become law, American taxpayers for the first time in our history would be compelled to fund the deliberate destruction of human embryos. Crossing this line would be a grave mistake and would needlessly encourage a conflict between science and ethics that can only do damage to both and harm our Nation as a whole.

Advances in research show that stem cell science can progress in an ethical way. Since I announced my policy in 2001, my Administration has expanded funding of research into stem cells that can be drawn from children, adults, and the blood in umbilical cords with no harm to the donor, and these stem cells are currently being used in medical treatments. Science also offers the hope that we may one day enjoy the potential benefits of embryonic stem cells without destroying human life. Researchers are investigating new techniques that might allow doctors and scientists to produce stem cells just as versatile as those derived from human embryos without harming life. We must continue to explore these hopeful alternatives, so we can advance the cause of scientific research while staying true to the ideals of a decent and humane society.

I hold to the principle that we can harness the promise of technology without becoming slaves to technology and ensure that science serves the cause of humanity. If we are to find the right ways to advance ethical medical research, we must also be willing when necessary to reject the wrong ways. For that reason, I must veto this bill."

1st myth: There is no stem cell research being done. This is a COMPLETE LIE. There is both embryonic (fetal) & adult stem cell research being done. It is simply that there is no federal funding for embryonic stem cell research other than for those select lines. But, there is plenty of private funding out there that is being used.

2nd myth: That the embryos are just a piece of tissue. the children President Bush surrounded himself with were all born from frozen embryos, proving that they are living human beings, not something disposable. To use an embryo to harvest stem cells you have to take the life of the humab being that is that embryo. That is murder, plain & simple.

3rd myth: Embryonic stem cells hold out the best hope for cures. The facts (& I will go into this more in another blog with the evidence to back me up) are different. The only successful cures have been produced from adult stem cell lines. Nothing has been produced from embryonic stem cells. In fact the test treatments with victims of Parkenson's Disease using fetal stem cells has left them off worse than before the treatment. In fact according to the information on 1 list that I found out there, http://www.corcell.com/expectant/diseases_treated.html#current, there are already 80 some cures using adult stem cells.

As I said, I will go into this more in future blogs. But I do have to add 1 thing. There is a personal side to this. I am a Type II Diabetic. & I do not want a cure at the expense of some innocent unborn child's life. To me that is the same as benifiting from the experiments done by the Nazis in WWII. & is in direct opposition to the principles stated in the Nurmeberg Code as well as The Principle of Practical Doubt. I am disgusted that both the American Diabetic Association & the Juvenille Daiabetes Research Foundation both condone embryonic stem cell research. In fact The Juvenille Diabetes Research Foundation recently turned down a request for funding by a researcher, Dr. Denise Faustman, using adult stem cells that has cured diabetes in mice. She is now ready to start clinic trials to see if it will work for humans. They refuse to explain why they turned down the funding while promoting how near a cure is using embryonic stem cells (clearly a lie). To read more about this sad & puzzling story see the following: http://www.fumento.com/biotech/diabetesfoundation.html .

I am all for ethical research. Embryonic stemm cell research is anything but ethical. Again, MILLE GRAZIE President Bush! For now, the slippery slope is just a little less slippery.