U-u-u-u-u-h-h-h-h-h-h!!!
The title of this post is supposed to be that low, rumbling sound Lurch made on the Addams Family. Why? Because that's my reaction to John Kerry's idiocy on the Senate floor yesterday in regard to stem cells. (Plus, Kerry looks a bit Lurchy, don't you think?)
Kerry was overstating the results of embryonic stem cell (ESC) research in mice, but the statement that bugs me is this one, because even those one the right side of this debate make this same error sometimes. He said:
"Now we can all hope that alternatives to embryonic research hold similar promise [to ESCs], but we can't wish away what our scientists are telling us: research on embryonic stem cells is incredibly promising, pivotal to this new field and not easily sidestepped."Why speak of "alternatives" to embryonic stem cell research?!?! ESC HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING! The wishing is all on the side of ESC; the results are on the side of adult and cord blood therapies.
In further Senate action, the President should be able to successfully veto the bill overturning his stem cell funding policy. But the more interesting vote was on bill S. 30. Anyone voting against this bill can rightly be characterized as "anti-science." The short form of the bill states:
It is the purpose of this Act to--Which simply means "we support ethical stem cell research." Well, some senators, including two presidential hopefuls, do not support such research:
(1) intensify research that may result in improved understanding of or treatments for diseases and other adverse health conditions; and
(2) promote the derivation of pluripotent stem cell lines without the creation of human embryos for research purposes and without the destruction or discarding of, or risk of injury to, a human embryo or embryos other than those that are naturally dead.
NAYs ---28At least Kerry voted for "alternative" research; he must have some sense.
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Clinton (D-NY)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Kohl (D-WI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Obama (D-IL)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Wyden (D-OR)
NOT VOTING - 2
Dodd (D-CT)
Johnson (D-SD)
Also here's a link to an earlier post re: adult stem cell successes.
2 comments:
If I recall correctly some of those on your list of "NAYs" are the ones who,a few years ago, boasted of making the Federal Government spend ten times as much on finding a cure for one sexually transmitted disease than it spent on research on the prevention and cure of cancer!!!
Pop
I'm most surprised to see Leiberman amongst them. I guess he's trying to prove he is in fact still a liberal if no longer a Democrat!
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