Posted by Therese B. on July 04, 2001 at 11:08:37:
Some thoughts before heading out to celebrate Independence Day (happy 4th!)...
example:
A couple has a week old baby who has suffered severe brain damage due to lack of oxygen during birth. The baby is still alive but will never fully function as a normal human being, physically or mentally, and is attatched to life support. The parent(s) decide that they must do what they feel is the right thing--discontinuance of life support.
They then choose to donate any usable organs for medical research--federally funded.
How would this differ from a couple choosing to donate unused invitro embryos to federally funded medical research. Without "life support," -successful implantation- the embryo also has no chance for a normal physical or mental life.
I don't think you can ban federally funded embryonic stem cell research and keep donating a newborn's organs (a whole lot of cells) to federally funded research legal, can you?
Therese