Most importantly, ask your United States Senators to vote against HR 810, which would use taxpayer funds to pay for embryonic stem cell research. According to today's LifeNews report, it is very likely that HR 810 will pass; however, President George W. Bush has promised to veto this bill! That is excellent. And if he does veto it, it is very unlikely that a 2/3 majority will pass the bill in the House of Representatives (1) It would be his first veto as President.
At the same time ask your Senators to vote in support of Brownback-Santorum bill to ban "fetal farming" and the Santorum-Specter bill to fund alternative methods of producing genetically controlled, pluripotent stem cells -- the same kind of stem cells we would get from cloning, but without the embryo destruction. Congress can support stem cell research without destroying life! (2)
Please contact your represenatives. You can quickly find addresses, phone numbers, and email contact information for your two senators by going to the official website of the United States Senate. Since the vote is just this coming next Tuesday, I recommend sending them an email. After you contact them, please pass this along to others through your blogs and email. We need to get the word out as soon as possible.
Myths and Facts on Embryonic Stem Cell Research:
Myth: Embryonic stem cell research is curing patients and doing a better job than the use of adult stem cells.
Fact: Embryonic stem cell research has not only yet to cure a single human patient, but it has never been tried on humans because of failures in animal testing. On the other hand, adult stem cells have already produced 70 cures or treatments for various conditions including various cancers such as breast cancer, lymphomas, leukemia, arthritis, heart damage, Parkinson’s, Sickle Cell Anemia and other disorders. (See http://www.stemcellresearch.org/facts/treatments.htm).
Myth: Embryonic stem cell research has the potential to cure Alzheimer's patients like President Ronald Reagan.
Fact: Leading researchers say stem cell research will not likely yield cures for Alzheimer's. "Alzheimer's is a more global disease, with an effect on numerous kinds of cells," Steve Stice, a stem cell researcher at the University of Georgia, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper. "That makes it much more difficult for a cell therapy to be effective." Marilyn Albert, a Johns Hopkins University researcher, adds, "I just think everybody feels there are higher priorities for seeking effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease and for identifying preventive strategies."
Myth: An overwhelming majority of Americans want to spend federal funds on embryonic stem cell research.
Fact: The most recent poll on the subject, conducted by International Communications Research in mid-May, finds 48% of Americans oppose federal funding of stem cell research that requires destroying human embryos. Just 39% support such funding and another 12 percent had no position. The ICR survey found 57% favored funding only the research avenues that do not harm the donor. Just 24% favored funding all stem cell research, including the type that involves destroying human embryos.
(Received the Myth/Fact sheet in an email)
2 comment(s):
How is denying 110,000,000 suffering American (1) a possible cure excellent? Even if you do not agree with Stem Cell research, the benefactors of HR 810 are not greedy billionaires, but patients in need of a cure and salvation. These embryos will not be ripped from a womb, but donated for that specific use or it was determined that the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded. (2)
I do not think its wrong for those who view these embryos as life. Your side is for the well being of these possible persons. That's beautiful and I wish that love and care could be spread around outside of this issue.
But there is a big difference between a child growing inside it's mother's womb and a few cells in a petri dish. If using these cells is immoral, then why is there no legislation to stop discarding from them. Is that immoral? Is discarding those who will never get artificial inseminated immoral too? Where's the protest for them?
What is immoral is not trying at all. Will stem cells cure every disease? Maybe yes and maybe no. But we at least have to try.
Think of it like this. If you were in the desert and dying of thirst, would you not give anything for water? And then you saw a well in the distance, but it had a sign on it saying private property. The well could brimming with water or dry and barren. You wouldn't know for sure unless you looked. Wouldn’t you at least look?
People that are for Stem Cell research are not evil and love to destroy life for the share thrill of it. They support it because they are for life.
Again the benefactors of this research is not greedy billionaires, but a child who can't go to school with having seizures (3). Or a man who only wishes to walk one day agian. (4) Or a president to remember his great work. (5) They also want the right to life.
I know I'm not going change everybody's mind on this, but at least hear me out and understand were the pro-stem cell community is coming from. Don't call us evil, call us hopeful.
Thank you for your time.
1. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=47047&nfid=rssfeeds
2. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c109:1:./temp/~c109ZPk6xh::
3. http://www.missouricures.com/hope_smith.php
4. http://www.missouricures.com/hope_mccaffrey.php
5. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3700015.stm
Jackie,
It is wrong to destroy a human life in the hopes that it may save someone else. That is unacceptable and morally wrong! All Catholics must believe the Church's position on embryonic stem cell research.
Adult stem cell research has already shown remarkable success. Those 110,000,000 Americans can, very likely, be helped through adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells, through all of the research currently done, has shown Nothing beneficial! I cannot morally support the government taking money out of my taxes to pay for the destruction of human life.
Also, an embryo IS a person. It is a life person in a different stage of development than us. It IS NOT a "possible" person. It is a live person with a soul.
YOU: "If using these cells is immoral, then why is there no legislation to stop discarding from them."
ME: Because too many people don't care. The Church is preparing to excommunicate all embryonic stem cell scientists and possibly the politicians that support it. Embryonic stem cell research is wrong even if the government sees this or not. Thankfully, President Bush has promised to veto HR 810.
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