Scientist who ignited stem-cell war says it's over

WorldNetDaily ^ | 11/24/07 | WorldNetDaily

[wagglebee]

The scientist who helped ignite cultural and political controversy with the use of embryos in stem-cell research believes his new discovery – using ordinary adult skin cells – means the war is virtually over.

"A decade from now, this will be just a funny historical footnote," James A. Thomson told the New York Times in an interview.

Thomson's laboratory at the University of Wisconsin was one of two that announced Tuesday a new way to turn ordinary human skin cells into what appear to be embryonic stem cells without using a human embryo.

The technique involves adding four genes to ordinary adult skin cells.

[bert]

To quote Charles Krauthamer “It’s over”

[potlatch]

Very good post devolve.

Always good when a scientist admits to having ethical concerns!

[Amelia]

I wonder if Planned Parenthood will start closing some of their death mills now that some of the potential profit will vanish.

Actually, in-vitro fertilization clinics are a much better source of embryos. There are, what, half a million in cold storage now?

[steve86]

A decade from now, this will be just a funny tragic historical footnote

[Amelia]

We could live forever - isn’t that what this is all about?

I suspect so...but it's okay as long as no embryos are destroyed in the process, right?

Or is it too much like what might have happened if Adam & Eve had been able to eat of the other apple?

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Anyone want to bet on how long before Michael J. Fox apologizes to those he attacked, starting with Rush Limbaugh and Senator James Talent.

My guess is not this year.

[taxcontrol]

Yes, science often follows the path of least resistance because that is the starting point for assumptions. If the “known science” indicates that you can only get stem cells from embryos and it is ok to get stem cells from embryos .... why on earth would you want to invest time, money and effort in trying to revert adult skin cells to the stage required?

[Amelia]

Thomson said he decided to proceed because the work was important, and he was using embryos from fertility clinics that would have been destroyed anyway, because the couples no longer wanted them.

Why do y'all always assume the embryos come from aborted fetuses? By the time they're aborted, they're generally too developed for this sort of research.

As an aside, I wonder how World Net Daily gets away with plagiarizing the NYT?

[wagglebee]

Actually, in-vitro fertilization clinics are a much better source of embryos. There are, what, half a million in cold storage now?

It is still the unacceptable destruction of human life.

[AHerald]

??? You suggesting they wouldn't have discovered this without his opposition?

Bush Bears Fruit -- New discoveries pave the way for ethical stem-cell research, thanks to the president’s policies.

I believe that many of these exciting “alternative” methods would not have been achieved but for President Bush’s stalwart stand promoting ethical stem-cell research. Indeed, had the president followed the crowd instead of leading it, most research efforts would have been devoted to trying to perfect ESCR and human-cloning research — which, despite copious funding, have not worked out yet as scientists originally hoped.

[Barnacle]

Actually, in-vitro fertilization clinics are a much better source of embryos. There are, what, half a million in cold storage now?

Ain't that just great. We have in essence a half a million people frozen in suspended animation. Just because they exist in an artificially induced condition, that does not mean that they forfeit their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

[Barnacle]

Ping to #51

[wagglebee]

They seek to devalue life in hopes that we won’t mind when they destroy it.

[Enchante]

"A decade from now, this will be just a funny historical footnote,"

Oh, I'm sure it's real funny to all of us who have been viciously slandered, and to candidates in Missouri, etc. who were smeared and defeated by the dishonest left.

[Old Professer]

A lot more crowded right now - had she left the apple alone it would just be the two of them forever; it don’t take much to make god happy.

[Goreknowshowtocheat]

I don’t think this scientist should go out alone at night. Arkancide is heading for the WH. If not that, then he should standby to be audited once she is in power. Killing babies is her hobby, it is not nice to interfere with that Mothers’ nature.

[muawiyah]

The next battle will be to get the leftwing dominated Congress to fully fund stem-cell research and applications.

They were interested in this only to the degree Christians had ethical concerns. Now that Christians no longer have ethical concerns the Dems will view any funds devoted to stem cells as waste that should have otherwise gone to support the Dem voting base, or to pay for abortions.

[muawiyah]

It’s a definitional dispute to some. There are people who think that if they call a “baby” a “fetus” or a “blastocyte” no one will care.

[8mmMauser]

Pinged from Terri Dailies

8mm

[Amelia]

It’s a definitional dispute to some. There are people who think that if they call a “baby” a “fetus” or a “blastocyte” no one will care.

A baby, a fetus, and a blastocyte are different things, the same as an egg, a tadpole, and a frog are different things. Same origin, same ultimate destination, but if you want frog legs for supper you need a frog, not a tadpole.

Now if you want to argue about whether or not they are morally equivalent, that's a different issue, and that wasn't my point.

My point is, the embryos used for stem cell research don't come from abortion clinics, they come from fertility clinics, and they generally come with the consent of their "parents" (who've had more embryos that they feel capable of giving birth to created.)