Bush Stem Cell Madness

By now we all know that GW Bush has used his first veto to ban federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. This despite the bill passing both the House and the Senate including backing from uber-conservatives Mormon Senator Orrin Hatch from Utah and Senator Doctor Bill Frist from Tennessee. The Bush veto also ignores polls that show support for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research as high as 72%.

Just about everyone of us knows someone with an illness or disease that could benefit from this research: Brain disorders/mental illnesses, alzheimer's, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, parkinson's disease, AIDS, etc. According to the Alliance for Stem Cell Research there are 70 diseases and illnesses.

Does that picture of a collection of embryonic stem cells have a brain? No. Do they think? Do they have a heart? No. They have the potential for life. They could develop into a brain, heart or spinal cord cells but they are not in and of themselves any seperate, living "being". Again, according to the Alliance for Stem Cell Research, Embryonic stem cells are blank, unspecialized cells found in a blastocyst. A blastocyst is a mass of 150 or so cells that is smaller than the period at the end of this sentence.

Bush told us that it is wrong to use life to save another life so what about the donation of an organ by someone in a vegetable state about to be unplugged from life support? According to such asinine logic, wouldn't the donation of a kidney to help another person be murder as well? Seems to me that it would me an even more heinous case of murder as it involves an entire organ! Then there is the donating of blood to help another person live. How is that not murder? After all this is the intentional spilling of blood (blood which is the essence of life) for saving another.

What about the waste of sperm cells by a couple trying to have a baby that do not fertilize an egg? Not every sexual relation involves the conception of life so isn't that murder by not using every sperm cell for life?? Or how about getting a tan as that involves the killing of some skin cells which are alive? Or how about a woman's monthly cycle being murder as she does not use all her eggs to create life?

Sure the donation of these things does not necessarly kill the person who donates them but then neither does the creation of extra embryonic stem cells! The women who create them go on to create life, (and in many cases lots and lots of lives with the use of fertility drugs!) not die or kill life. So how can this all lead to murder when the couples get a baby (or more then one) and others get improved life from the left over stem cells!! Nothing in this equation is being killed!! In fact, there is only the transformation into life!!! The only killing would come if we waste these cells and toss them into the trash. So it seems to me that the anti-embryonic stem cell research lobby should be all over stem cell research as it involves the saving and creating of all kinds of life!!

This whole anti-embryonic stem cell lobby is absurd, illogical and irresponsible.

What is so frustrating is that one man's signature can kill off the voices of 3/4's of the American public, the lives of people suffering and dying from terrible diseases and the majority of Representatives and Senators. Talk about murder!!! Grrrrr.

Speaking of Bush and stem cell research he showed up here in Denver today to support an anti-embryonic stem cell research candidate. A pro-embryonic stem cell research rally was staged by Congresswoman Diana Degette which the state GOP chairmain dismissed. He said the protest was a diversion from issues that people care about.

Sooo according to him, people don't care about embryonic stem cell research. Even though a HUGE majority of Americas are for it??? How clueless can these Republicans get?!! I think that this is going to be big issue in the out come of the November elections. I know a few people who are going to vote against the sitting Representative of our district because she voted against the stem cell research bill.

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