Nebraska Overcomes Anti-Stem Cell Research Proposal

Mr. Monkey — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:36:32 +0000

When George W. Bush was in power, the Republican party restricted stem cell research, despite it’s vast potential to develop treatments or cures for a large number of diseases and conditions. On March 9th, 2009, Barack Obama reversed the funding limits that Bush had imposed, allowing scientific research to continue. In a strange proposal, the University of Nebraska recently brought forth a resolution to limit itself (LOL…who does that?). They would effectively override federal and state laws and take themselves back to the Dark Ages Bush era.

Obama signing the executive order to allow further stem cell funding.

The university’s Board of Regents voted on this resolution yesterday, which subsequently failed to pass because of a 4-4 tie. Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Nebraska’s Medical School, Thomas Rosenquist said, “It’s permission to go ahead and take part in 21st-century research with embryonic stem cells.“

Although it seems the university dodged a bullet, they expect pro-life groups to eventually reattempt to stunt the growth of embryonic stem cell research. Powerful Republican endorser and executive director of Nebraska Right to Life, Julie Schmit-Albin, stated after their defeat, “Pro-lifers are a resilient bunch. We’re in this for the long haul. We’ll regroup and take a look at it and decide where to go.“

University of Nebraska Medical Center stem cell biologist, Angie Rizzino, is well aware of right-wing religious organizations who are attempting to restrict the progress in her field. “I fear that they’ll be back in a year or two trying to put a block on embryonic stem cell research again,” she says after learning of the recent verdict.

The potential treatments based on stem cell research include:

Brain damage
Cancer
Spinal cord injury
Heart damage
Haematopoiesis (blood cell formation)
Baldness
Missing teeth
Deafness
Blindness and vision impairment
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Graft vs. host disease and Crohn’s disease
Neural and behavioral birth defects
Diabetes
Orthopedics
Wound healing
Infertility

Pro-lifers protesting scientific research.

Why would anyone be against something with so much potential? The majority of the resistance to stem cell progress comes from right-wing Christians who take the Bible to be literally true. They say the Bible claims that human life begins at conception, when only the egg and sperm cell are present. However, in Jeremiah 1:5, it claims that life or the “soul” begins even before you are “formed in the womb.” This is often ignored by pro-life groups because it would cause logistical problems in their argument.

Slightly more reasonable people claim that life begins after 4 weeks (6 clinical weeks), when the heart tubes initially start beating, while others contend that it begins after 54 days, when brain activity begins developing.

Regardless of these arguments, only naturally dead embryos, donated by the mother, or fertility clinic leftovers, which would otherwise be discarded, are used in embryonic stem cell research. Because of this fact alone, all these talking points are irrelevant.

Monkey Log | The Evolution of Society » stem cells

Nebraska Overcomes Anti-Stem Cell Research Proposal