Stem Cell Research

[TwinCrier]

But what they don't realize is that embryos aren't created for that, they use the left over embryos from invitro fertilization.

It's not about what the embryos were originally created for, it's what the embryos are subjected to after they are created. To create 'extra embryos' so you have some to experiment on doesn't change what is being done. Embryonic stem cells research using embryonic stem cells... from embyos, dispite what Ronny Reagan says.

 

[trunks2k]

It's not about what the embryos were originally created for, it's what the embryos are subjected to after they are created. To create 'extra embryos' so you have some to experiment on doesn't change what is being done. Embryonic stem cells research using embryonic stem cells... from embyos, dispite what Ronny Reagan says.

They don't create "extra embryos" in order to do research. The extra embryos are created for invitro fertilization. It takes multiple tries before an embryo will actually implant and result in pregnancy. Invariably there are often unsued embryos. If those embryos are not donated, they are simply destroyed. If we have hundreds of embryos that are left over from what is accepted by the medical field as an ethical procedure, why just throw them out? They can be put to good use. If my options are to destroy them, or use them to possibly save a person's life, I'll go with saving a person's life. It seems extraordinarily wasteful to me.

 

[Monica02]

I heard an extraordinary explaination Ron Reagan Jr. made in a speech on the subject...

"...Now, imagine going to a doctor who, instead of prescribing drugs, takes a few skin cells from your arm. The nucleus of one of your cells is placed into a donor egg whose own nucleus has been removed. A bit of chemical or electrical stimulation will encourage your cell's nucleus to begin dividing, creating new cells which will then be placed into a tissue culture. Those cells will generate 'embryonic' stem cells containing only your DNA, thereby eliminating the risk of tissue rejection. These stem cells are then driven to become the very neural cells that are defective in Parkinson's patients. And finally, those cells -- with your DNA -- are injected into your brain where they will replace the faulty cells whose failure to produce adequate dopamine led to the Parkinson's disease in the first place.

In other words, you're cured. And another thing, these embryonic stem cells, they could continue to replicate indefinitely and, theoretically, can be induced to recreate virtually any tissue in your body. How'd you like to have your own personal biological repair kit standing by at the hospital?...By the way, no fetal tissue is involved in this process. No fetuses are created, none destroyed. This all happens in the laboratory at the cellular level..."



We are talking about an unfertilized egg, not an embryo; that is misleading. I wish it was called cellular stem cell research, since that is what it is.

I believe the process you (Reagan) are describing is therapeutic human cloning. The developing human embryo is killed obtain its stem cells for experimentation and treatment. It is killed before it becomes a fetus, but it is still a human being.

You are the one being misled and you and Reagan may call it whatever you wish but the fact remains that a human embryo is killed in this process.

 

[Natman]

I heard an extraordinary explaination Ron Reagan Jr. made in a speech on the subject...

"...Now, imagine going to a doctor who, instead of prescribing drugs, takes a few skin cells from your arm. The nucleus of one of your cells is placed into a donor egg ...

What Ron Reagan Jr. is describing here is not "embryonic" stem cell. He is talking about using an unfertilized egg that will be injected with ones own DNA to produce stem cell. The difference in the eyes of many is the use of "embryonic" (fertilized) eggs or conceptus, or cells of aborted fetuses, both of which are considered existing "human life".

The unfertilized egg is not considered to be "human life" and as such, millions are destroyed and disposed of daily through the natural, God designed process of menstruation. It is only after an egg is fertilized that it's destruction through un-natural processes becomes a moral issue for a substantally large segment of humanity.

Because of the large quantity of unused and destroyed fertilized eggs, I also find myself in opposition to the in vitero fertilzation process, regardless of it's success in creating families. To me it represents sloppy wasteful science at the cost of human life.


Son-cerely,
Nate

 

[ade32]

Because of the large quantity of unused and destroyed fertilized eggs, I also find myself in opposition to the in vitero fertilzation process, regardless of it's success in creating families. To me it represents sloppy wasteful science at the cost of human life.

I would guess that even if IV were banned today, there'd be enough frozen embryos for embryonic stem cell research to go on for a long time.

 

[BarbB]

Ron Reagan is an avowed atheist who believes that Christians are stupid and ignorant. I take ANYTHING that he says with a grain of salt (including his idiotic commentary at the Eukanuba dog shows )!

 

[Aimee30]

I guess I was just guessing that since I assumed that if a baby hadn't been dead long their stem cells would probably still be alive. If you are an adult, if you die you can donate your organs--so I assumed that this could be transferred over to babies that just died. Sorry, maybe I was thinking wrong when I posted the last comments.

 

[trunks2k]

I guess I was just guessing that since I assumed that if a baby hadn't been dead long their stem cells would probably still be alive. If you are an adult, if you die you can donate your organs--so I assumed that this could be transferred over to babies that just died. Sorry, maybe I was thinking wrong when I posted the last comments.

Yes, adults can donate organs after they "die". But organ donations don't really come from the dead, they come from the brain-dead. Their hearts are still beating and oxygen is moving through their bodies, but their brains are destroyed. So the organs are removed and immediately put in conditions to preserve them as best as possible, you can't get that when a person is dead all the way (especially for heart transplants, if the heart is stopped, it's dead and of no use, by that time everything else is damaged).

I just want to reiterate that embryonic stem cells do not come from featuses. They come from an embryo at a state in which it is a cluster of undifferentiated (stem) cells. Once you have an actual featus, the cells are no longer undifferentiated.

 

[Aimee30]

Okay, so now that I know more, is it possible to determine that some of the embryos won't develop into a baby or are imperfect so that they would not be able to grow and live? If that would be possible, then there would not be much of an issue for donating to research if it could not live anyway.

 

[Monica02]

Okay, so now that I know more, is it possible to determine that some of the embryos won't develop into a baby or are imperfect so that they would not be able to grow and live? If that would be possible, then there would not be much of an issue for donating to research if it could not live anyway.

Aimee we are all going to die anyway. Should we experiment on you? Are you perfect?

 

[Aimee30]

Probably a naturally fetus aborted (ie. it came out by itself) at same stage these embryos are supposedly at probably would do the same thing, but I'm not going to go into it because it is probably rare.

As I am considered an organ donor on my license if I die, I suppose if I died people would experiment on me. (Hee,hee.)

On the other thread concerning this topic, they actually said that some of the embryos do die. Maybe they could use those quick before the cells are shot--or maybe I should go research this topic and learn more about it from both sides of the issue as that is probably the best way to get information instead making myself look dumb suggesting possibilities.

Have fun discussing!

 

[trunks2k]

Probably a naturally fetus aborted (ie. it came out by itself) at same stage these embryos are supposedly at probably would do the same thing, but I'm not going to go into it because it is probably rare.

Actually naturally aborted embryos happens quite often. Very often the egg is fertilized but the embryo does not implant.

 

[devoted daughter]

I believe the process you (Reagan) are describing is therapeutic human cloning. The developing human embryo is killed obtain its stem cells for experimentation and treatment. It is killed before it becomes a fetus, but it is still a human being.

You are the one being misled and you and Reagan may call it whatever you wish but the fact remains that a human embryo is killed in this process.

Sorry, I beg to differ based on science, but what I quoted isn't cloning, and no human embryos are involved. I only posted this particular quote because it simplifies the science to laymans terms...

All of this is on a cellular level...no babies...An unfertalized egg.

I eat chicken eggs (unfertalized eggs) for breakfast, not baby chicken embryos, (fertalized eggs).

I stand by my OP.

I heard an extraordinary explaination Ron Reagan Jr. made in a speech on the subject...

"...Now, imagine going to a doctor who, instead of prescribing drugs, takes a few skin cells from your arm. The nucleus of one of your cells is placed into a donor egg whose own nucleus has been removed. A bit of chemical or electrical stimulation will encourage your cell's nucleus to begin dividing, creating new cells which will then be placed into a tissue culture. Those cells will generate 'embryonic' stem cells containing only your DNA, thereby eliminating the risk of tissue rejection. These stem cells are then driven to become the very neural cells that are defective in Parkinson's patients. And finally, those cells -- with your DNA -- are injected into your brain where they will replace the faulty cells whose failure to produce adequate dopamine led to the Parkinson's disease in the first place.

In other words, you're cured. And another thing, these embryonic stem cells, they could continue to replicate indefinitely and, theoretically, can be induced to recreate virtually any tissue in your body. How'd you like to have your own personal biological repair kit standing by at the hospital?...By the way, no fetal tissue is involved in this process. No fetuses are created, none destroyed. This all happens in the laboratory at the cellular level..."



We are talking about an unfertilized egg, not an embryo; that is misleading. I wish it was called cellular stem cell research, since that is what it is.

 

[Norea]

Devoted it can also be said that right now many stem cell researchers are questioning the viability of their work not because of moral panic but because it's not turning into the panacea that many claim it is. I believe I read about that in SCIAM and I think the Skeptical Inquirer had an article about that.

-- Bridget

 

[devoted daughter]

Devoted it can also be said that right now many stem cell researchers are questioning the viability of their work not because of moral panic but because it's not turning into the panacea that many claim it is. I believe I read about that in SCIAM and I think the Skeptical Inquirer had an article about that.

-- Bridget

Perhaps, and what a shame that progress would be hindered by misunderstanding and pressures of the misinformed...but the bottom line is that these aren't embryos...humans.. Their research should continue...this is science, not morality. There is no morality to be considered any more than the ethics of insulin, only this is a possible cure, not a bandage or band-aid.

Peace

DD

 

[Gordon Freeman]

I eat chicken eggs (unfertalized eggs) for breakfast, not baby chicken embryos, (fertalized eggs).

unless you eat battery farmed eggs, in which case the hens never escape those little cages to frolick with the [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse], you probably do eat baby chicken embryos from time to time, since quite often [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] are allowed to run with the hens, since it makes the hens calmer and more broody. There have been at least two cases in the UK lately where people have put a fresh free range egg under their pet chicken who was getting broody, and a chick hatched out.

 

[devoted daughter]

unless you eat battery farmed eggs, in which case the hens never escape those little cages to frolick with the [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse], you probably do eat baby chicken embryos from time to time, since quite often [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] are allowed to run with the hens, since it makes the hens calmer and more broody. There have been at least two cases in the UK lately where people have put a fresh free range egg under their pet chicken who was getting broody, and a chick hatched out.

Indeed! I eat chickens, even.

But speaking of eggs on this point, as we are, these are NOT humans, or human embryos, or fetuses, but an unfertalized egg...They are not humans nor will they ever be...it's an egg. Period.