P-Mac indirectly asks a question:
How odd, then, that those who would permit no ethical worries about using embryos as ingredients find themselves insisting, against plain reality, that nothing can come from adult stem cells, that federal funding for embryo-killing research is the sole hope of medicine. In their eagerness to bolster their political case, they've painted themselves into a corner.
Allow an indirect answer:
When the only tool you have is a hammer, the solution to all problems is a.....HAMMER!!
When you've patented ESCR, the money only arrives with ESCR work.
Follow the money. It's a lot easier than puzzling over moral philosophy--because the "moral" here is to Get Rich.
DaddyZero, the people like me who support embryonic stem cell research also support adult stem cell research and cord blood research. It's great that a number of scientific advances have been made during the 30-year period since adult stem cells were discovered. Many scientists believe it won't take that long for embryonic stem cell research to be as productive. Cord blood stem cell research is just starting, so it will take a few more years for progress to be made on that front.
ReplyDeleteWhen you talk to stem cell scientists, you find that while each researcher specializes in one area, he or she is excited about the research done in other areas because a breakthrough there may lead to a breakthrough here, or vice versa.
Folks in Wisconsin are understandably excited about embryonic stem cell research, since the discovery was made here and the products or treatments developed have the potential to raise money to help support further research at our top state university.
Helping the university find adequate resources is important in light of declining state support over the past 40 years. When my wife and I enrolled at Madison in 1967, the state kicked in roughly half of the costs. Today that figure is down to less than 20 cents on the dollar -- and falling.
State support has declined regardless of which party has been in power, so this isn't a partisan matter.