Stem Cells -- Now With 100 Percent Fewer Embryos!

Frankly, I'm a little disturbed by those who seem upset by this news - as though they hate the idea of the religious crazies getting their way, even if there's no reason not to.

 

But He believes in you...

*ducking*

 

I'm more disturbed by the fact that the story seems to think that the opinion of the religious crazies are worth seeking out in this matter. This was a science story. The political views of activist religion ought to be irrelevant. If you want to write a sidebar on the political reaction, do that.

 

Oh come on. The politics have been constantly mixed with the science - it's an ethical question. That is part of the science. The breakthrough may never have happened without the controversy - why would they even look for it, would you have?

 

Yes, I would look for every avenue I could. I presume that people are out there looking to develop artificial stem-cells. I wouldn't presume to guess their motivation. And, frankly, there isn't much of a controversy here, just some noisy godbotherers.

 

You don't think there's a controversy about any issue - the other side is always wrong. Those who disagree might disagree.

 

http://www.pollingreport.com/science.htm

Scroll down.
A three-to-one majority consistently supports this research, and rejects the extremist views of the godbotherers. Because they can make noise, and get themselves on television, doesn't make a research "controversial." It makes them a nuisance.

 

So if you're a 25% minority you don't matter? Especially on what you consider to be human rights? Where does that leave you historically?

 

You do matter. Just not as much as the 75 percent do, at least in the development of public policy.
Nobody's infringing on your right to be part of the debate. You don't have a right to appear in a news story about a scientific issue just because you can make enough noise.
(And, I'm begging you, don't go to the slavery analogy, OK? It does not apply.)

 

Yeah, I'd say god-botherers is a tiny bit overblown.

 

Sorry, aa, but I'm sick of those people. I'm sure some of them are very nice, but their leaders are a bunch of patriarchal bluenoses whose real problem in empowered female sexuality, and not abortion. That got exposed during the debate over RU-486. They're after birth control next, and the right to privacy after that. And their movement has produced more domestic terrorism than any other movement in my lifetime and, no, I don't give a damn that they've sternly condemned it etc. etc. Their movement produced it. (And somebody helped Eric Rudolph hide out for over a year). Their involvement in the stem-cell issue is preposterous as science and dubious as morality. God-botherers is the nicest thing I can think of.

 

I would imagine that if I was a stem cell researcher, having suffered through the policies of George Bush, I would have been inclined to study other ways to cultivate stem cells as well...