Reviving Stem Cell Research

President Barack Obama lifted President Bush's ban on federal funding of promising stem cell research. Anti-abortion rights activists condemned Obama's decision. Chip Reid reports.

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News & Politics

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• Chip
• Reid
• Bush
• Ban
• Anti-Abortion
• Stem
• Cell

[Nezzytheawesome]

Interesting how so many of you didn't even watch the video. As they said, many of the embryos were leftovers from fertility clinics AND WOULD HAVE BEEN THROWN OUT ANYWAY. So all these "You are cannibalizing our youngest" people should realize that embryos in the trash aren't going to live no matter what happens.

So here is my question. Would you rather throw the leftovers into the trash, or use them to cure somebody's illness?

[oran6es]

At present, we do not all agree on this. As such, it should cease.

There are many alternatives that do not involve systematic human ownership and cannibalization of our youngest.

[MrMeter]

I can see where you're coming from and in part I think you're right. I'm all for regulation of embryo usage in medical and science-applications. However, the technology is here to stay. The possible benifits to mankind (i.e. corporate profits) are to great to ignore. Untill we find an alternative, it's better to limit this research to a form that we can agree on then to outlaw it completely.

[MrMeter]

Well, your textbook is completely right :) But where the development of a human being begins, does not equal the question at what stage something can actually be considered human. Pro-abortion laws are also based on the notion that a human does not acquire consciousness untill a certain stage of his development. But I'd really hate this to become a lengthy discussion...

[oran6es]

According to my embryology textbook, our existence as an individual begins as a zygote, within 24h of conception. From here, there is a continuum of development that does not cease until adulthood or death. Birth is but an abrupt change in environment.

We are always whole. Earlier in development we're less mature. Human life cycle: zygote, embryo, fetus, infant, child, adolescent, adult....

[MrMeter]

I agree on not having corporations own the rights to human individuals, but we keep falling back to that same question: is an embryo really a human being or just a part waiting to be assembled?

[oran6es]

Because it is unethical for a corporation to own living human individuals at any stage of their life cycle, for the sole purpose of converting their living parts to a commodity, destroying their existence as a whole in the process.

Killing Peter to cure Paul.

[MrMeter]

But why? We're already transplanting nearly every part of the human body. What makes an embryo any different?

[oran6es]

A human is the sum of their parts, yes. Those parts should not be pulled apart from each other at any stage of this living individual's development.

CIVILIZED nations should not practice the cannibalization of the youngest of our species.

[MrMeter]

My 50 cents: I don't believe in a soul. Alot of what I am comes from what goes on in my brain. My memory, my consciousness, my ability to sense...every bit of it is due to brain-function. Take it all away and then what's left? Not my character, nor personality, nor my identity. Nothing I would describe as human, would be left. And that's where I stand on stem cells. They're nothing but the sum of their parts. If anyone thinks they have a soul, they'd have to explain to me what that means first.