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My personal musings about anything that gets on my radar screen--heavily dominated by politics.

2007-01-07

If I Had Enough Money To Buy Advertising Time . . .

I'd put this ad on during the evening news on all three major local outlets this week.

[set: fake newscast, appropriately coiffed and made-up female newscaster]

And now, in news from the world of science . . .

Researchers at Harvard and Wake Forest Universities are reporting that they have found a way to isolate stem cells from embryonic fluid. The stem cells the researchers have found are the same type of cells, called "pluripotent", that have the capaility of mutating into whatever type of cell environment they are introduced into. This is same sort of capability that researchers have been pursuing without results with embryonic stem cells, but without any of the ethical issues involved in harvesting embryonic stem cells from viable embryos.

Stem cell research has begun paying dividends for the medical research community. Stem cells harvested from umbilical cords have been utilized in over 6000 transplant procedures worldwide, and stem cells harvested from adults have already been successfully used on humans to relieve symptoms of Parkinson's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. In recent weeks a research team has found a method to extract stems cells from human embryos without leading to that embryo's destruction, and this newest method of harvesting stem cells has already produced laboratory results that are free from the tumors that embryonic stem cells tend to produce.

In related news, Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has scheduled a vote for Thursday to allow the U.S. Government to devote billions of dollars to embryonic stem cell research.

And now, we turn to . . . [fade from newsset to black]

[overwrite onto black screen] Call the office of Ed Perlmutter, and ask him to stop the ideologically-driven push to public funding of embryonic stem cell research. Ask him: if he is so driven to finding cures, why not devote the money to therapies that are producing results?

If I had the money . . .
Posted by: Michael / 1/07/2007 11:30:00 PM

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