President Bush to Veto yet another Stem Cell Bill. Once again, ethics are on the table and arguements are certain to flare. While 70% of the US population is FOR the new Stem Cell research bill, President Bush is against it, having stated that while he agrees with stem cell research, he does not agree that it should be done at the destruction of human embyos.
Ok, fine. So we're supposed to wait for the medical and scientific industries to stuggle along trying to catch up to the rest of the world because 30% of the US population considers these stem cells to be human, and therefore, the scientists are 'playing God', whereby they have now 'crossed the moral and ethical line'. Let's get something straight right now. As unethical as this new research might seem, I dare anyone to tell me how it is unethical to try and find treatments and cures for diseases that take tens of thousands of lives annually. Really, don't be shy. I want to hear your opinions.
For the die hard religious folks out there, I'll say this as simplistically as I possibly can: STOP WITH THE PLAYING GOD CRAP!! These researchers are not trying to 'play God' even slightly. They are trying to save the lives of thousands of people in the nation, and millions around the world. They are not trying to cross the line of natural selection, evolution or any other boundaries.
Go to any hospital and take a look at the patient roster just in the pediatric ward alone. I will guarentee you that at least half of those patients are there with life long and/or terminal ailments that could be prevented, treated or cured totally. But, we can't do that yet, because our research is not being properly funded and therefore, these children will have to continue to suffer because of someone's ethics issues. You tell me, do you really think these kids care about the ethics of the President? More importantly, do you think that if the parents of these children were given a means by which they could treat and possibly cure their children of what ails them, that they'd jump at the chance? Most of them would.
How about the 30 or 40 year old woman who finds out, in the prime of her life, that she has diabetes and will now have to transform her entire life style to a disease that will eventually claim her life? Do you think she'd not jump at the chance to treat and/or cure that? Or, how about the 65 year old guy who's worked for more than 70% of his life doing hard physical labor, and finally reaches retirement.... only to find out that he's got Parkinson's disease and will probably not live to see his 70th birthday? How many ethics do you think will play a role in his jump at a chance to extend his life another 20 years?
Of course Stem Cells are not the only answer to the medical equation. However, they are a very large part of it in this day and age. Cancer has been around since before the dinosaurs. Here we are, millions of years later, with the bordering technology that might very well hold the keys to stop the cancer totally....and we can't research it. Why? Ethics.
While I am not against anyone's beliefs, nor will I ever put anyone down for their faith, I will also have no problem telling them when to get their moral heads out of their proverbial asses. Let's also remember that, no matter how 'barbaric' or 'evil' it is, the truth of the matter remains that if it were not for the research of medicinal advancements, we'd probably still be getting prescribed Heroine to treat a ton of ailments. You read that properly. As recently as 1910, doctors were prescribing Heroine for the treatment in many different ailments....and now, thanks to the research they did back then, we understand what Heroine really is, and what it does to a person.
Gee, I wonder how many people had to die before doctors realized that there is little to no medicinal use for Ketchup?
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