Posted by Robin on July 08, 2001 at 08:27:55:
In Reply to: Re: Even tho it ain't that simple... posted by Alan F. Bachrach, M.D. on July 07, 2001 at 10:09:57:
"I thought there was no guarantee of a cure from any of the approaches currently under investigation."
It puzzles me that the stem cell research camp would be so antagonistic towards anyone who might question and/or disagree with the stem cell approach and don't exhibit that same behavior with other approaches that might but aren't guaranteed to cure diabetes. Can I see a show of hands of those stem cell research supporters who submitted their concerns or registered their protests with the FDA over the new xenotransplant guidelines that guarantee people with lives to live would have to sign them away for transplanted pig cells?
"Perhaps we SHOULD abandon research on stem cells from frozen fertilized eggs."
You said it, I didn't. (shrug) I think it would be far more sensible to look into why we have all of these frozen fertilized eggs and put some sort of checks in place so that we don't create a growth market for frozen fertilized eggs. It has sort of a Soylent Green ring about it to me - the procedure for obtaining the eggs has always struck me as ghoulish and painful. Or does none of that matter as long as the eggs are used for the worthy and noble cause of curing someone's kids of diabetes? I would hope (probably against all the evidence) that we don't suffer from tunnelvision to such a degree.
For the record, I'm the last person that anyone would call a 'right-to-lifer'. My personal opinion of stem cell research is that most of it and the fervor attached regarding a 'potential' cure for diabetes is a pipe dream - I don't support it, but I haven't actively discouraged it either, yet (hammering me with sarcasm and personal attacks would certainly provide encouragement to do so). My concern (and curiosity) is oriented in how much manipulation (or even atrocity) will people unquestioningly tolerate or rationalize for the sake or hope of 'progress' and 'medical advancement'? I'm trying to look ahead and get some sort of blurry picture of what this kind of acceptance might entail. What's next if it's ok and there's nothing to harvesting and manipulating fertilized human eggs in the name of scientific and technological advancement? Who will really benefit from this research in the end - everyday people like us or the pharmaceutical industry? And yeah, I pose the same or similar questions to all the various 'approaches' that might but are not guaranteed to lead to a cure.
Robin