Obama wants Congress to act on lifting stem cells ban

I say full steam ahead.

There's no reason not the press ahead with this research. The arguments against are poor. We destroy (far) more living cells when we swot a fly. Not only that, but the fly has a nervous system and internal organs. The early stage embryo has none of these things, in fact it has nothing even close to remembling this.

There is one final point. Opponents will argue that each cell has the *potential* for human life and is therefore precious. Don't listen to this nonesense. With today's technology, every cell in your body has this potential. By their poor reasoning, you commit mass genocide everytime you scratch your nose.

Be on the look out for these misguided and intensely ignorant views. They don't stand up when tested. We should press on with this potentially life-saving research with full enthusiasm and great speed.

And on top of it all, aren't there methods for using stem cells from locations other than embryos now? Simply put: the ban is outdated to begin with.

Wrong Morpheu. Obama is proving to be a smart guy who has respect for science.

And on top of it all, aren't there methods for using stem cells from locations other than embryos now? Simply put: the ban is outdated to begin with.

I'm pretty sure those stemcells are "only" pluripotent. Even if this wasn't true it's a poor justification for throwing away embryos instead of using them(the morulas and blastocysts used for stem cell research are typically unwanted left overs from in vitro fertilization; if you don't use them for stemcell research they're still going to be destroyed).

I think embryonic stem cells are a bad thing. In several of the studies where they have been used, these cells have turned into strange cancers in the people who have received them. Wish I could say more about that but...confidentiality.

Anyway, this sort of thing seems not to make the news very often. Embryonic stem cells are risky. Other stem cell sources are more promising, IMO, particularly when made from currently existing tissues, as well as fetal cord-blood. Obama's wasting time and breath. His actions are pure PR--nothing more.

This is a great program to establish for a healthier new generation of embryo's. On the other hand, the government is also working on to repair the mess of the economy now. Timothy F. Geithner, the Obama nominee for Treasury Secretary, had owed a large sum of money to the Internal Revenue Service. I wonder if he needed a payday loan to help pay off his $42,000 debt with the IRS. Apparently Geither%u2019s tax mistakes occurred during the time he worked for the International Monetary Fund back in 2001-2004. It seems that U.S. law mixed with working for an international company was too complicated for Geithner. Fortunately, getting a payday loan is absolutely simple. Obama and his team are defending the nominee, stating that the errors were an honest mistake and there is no good reason why Geithner should not be the next United States Secretary of the Treasury. When you really think about it though, the incident happened five years ago. By now, he is probably a lot better with his taxes. In addition, he did pay back the money he owed plus interest. However, I am a bit hesitant to put a man who was unable to handle his personal financial dealings in charge of the entire country%u2019s finances. You could read more about Timothy Geithner and the Barack Obama administration through this article on the payday loan money blog at PersonalMoneyStore.com.

Any cure based on a cell grown from an embryonic stem cell from an embryo not genetically identical to the patient's will require imuno-supressive drugs to prevent rejection. Researchers have already discovered how to grow stem cells of any kind from skin stem cells from the patient. This avoids any risk of rejection and side effects from drugs.

The ban is obsolete and now unnecessary.

Those still pushing for research on embryos are either a) ignorant of the recent discoveries, b) pushing another agenda (e.g. abortion), or c) only interested in very limited research to verify the stem cells generated from adults are indeed as effective for cures as those generated from embryos.

I am in favor of limited research to address "c".

I oppose treating human life with the same disregard we treat the life of food and research animals.

...if you don't use them for stemcell research they're still going to be destroyed...

Every day, we destroy tissues removed from patients in the hospital. If the patient signs a consent, the tissues MAY be used for research. One could argue that the parents of the fertilized embryo used in stem cell research MAY sign a consent in place of the genetically unique individual the embryo MAY grow into, thus allowing the research. But if the rights of the potential unborn child ARE subsumed by the parents, then such a consent must be informed and must be made in regard to ethical policies that respect the value of human life.

In particular, these cells must not be "sold" for profit, nor should the researchers or investors profit economically by disrespecting the value of human life.