The media are struggling to promote excitement over new embryonic stem cell lines becoming eligible for federal research funding. It is a change to be sure, but I think way too much is being made of it. From the Washington Post story:
Launching a dramatic expansion of government support for one of the most promising but most contentious fields of biomedical research, the National Institutes of Health on Wednesday authorized the first 13 lines of cells under the administration’s policy and was poised to approve 20 more Friday. “This is the first down payment on what is going to be a much longer list that will empower the scientific community to explore the potential of embryonic stem cell research,” said NIH Director Francis S. Collins. “Today’s announcement is the first wave.” An additional 76 stem cell lines are awaiting vetting, and researchers have indicated that they plan to submit at least 254 more for approval.
The NIH has already authorized 31 grants worth about $21 million for research on human embryonic stem cells, money that was contingent on new lines passing government muster. The grants are for a variety of research, including work aimed at developing cells that could be used to treat diseases of the heart and nervous system. Many other grant requests have been submitted by researchers hoping to use some of the $10 billion the NIH received as part of the economic stimulus, Collins said. “We’ve been waiting with bated breath to get started,” said George Daley, a stem cell researcher at Children’s Hospital in Boston who created 11 of the lines approved Wednesday. “We could do today what we couldn’t do yesterday.”
Oh, please. There were never any federal funding restrictions on embryonic stem cell research under Bush. More than $3 billion was poured into the field during his tenure in the USA alone , tens of millions annually from the Bush NIH. Nor, were there any regulatory restrictions on the conduct of the research itself that have been changed. Indeed, perhaps with the exception of that extra stimulus funding, there are no guarantees that Obama will fund ESCR any more bounteously than Bush did.
The whole controversy was more symbolic than concrete. Yes, it will now be easier logistically for researchers and there will be more lines upon which to research. But the real battle had to do with the message Bush sent–that it is wrong to use human life instrumentally. That is what the raw emotionalism was really all about. Besides, this part of the great stem cell debate is over. Adult stem cell and IPSC successes have robbed ESCR of its political potency.
The real issue is cloning. But that won’t begin until and unless scientists can actually do it in humans. When that happens, watch out! Until then, we are in the calm before the storm.
December 4th, 2009 | 8:39 pm
As you say they say Wesley, “We could do today what we couldn’t do yesterday.” So True and we still allow “Killing of The Unborn” Mercy Killing for those who think they want out of this world just to name a few and I’m sure that during this calm, God doesn’t agree with what He’s seeing. The mixing of Good and Bad in order to fool “The God’s” won’t even fool sinner vic. Go Figure!
I’m going to close by asking God to grant me the serenity to accept the things that i can not change. The courage to change the things that i can and the wisdom to know the difference between “Right” and “Wrong”
Peace
December 4th, 2009 | 9:15 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Vince Humphreys and Wesley J. Smith, Nick Delgado. Nick Delgado said: DelgadoProtocol.com Embryonic Stem Cell Research Boost From NIH Only the Quiet Before … http://bit.ly/8BARNT [...]
December 5th, 2009 | 12:22 am
The political wind may have been let out of the sails by other technologies, but nevertheless I read the article about how these are “strictly ethical” and it’s clear this administration takes us for fools. The bogus “consent”…use private dollars to destroy the embryos, knowing that as soon as the deed is done you’re wide open to federal money…much like how certain members of Congress had the bright idea that they could change (obscure?) the source of funding by funneling it through a contractor, which sounds an awful lot like money laundering. But what do I know…
December 5th, 2009 | 2:36 am
[...] The media are struggling to promote excitement over new embryonic stem cell lines becoming eligible for federal research funding. It is a change to be sure, but I think way too much is being made of it. From the Washington Post story: Launching a …Read Original Story: Embryonic Stem Cell Research Boost From NIH Only the Quiet Before the Storm … [...]
December 5th, 2009 | 11:54 am
There may be a relationship between the fraudsters of Climate change and these “scientists”, who seek not only the pproval of government, but the funds that come with tht approval.
Remember Frankenstein was not the monster, he was the creator.
December 5th, 2009 | 12:33 pm
With the fraudulence of the climategate science, it pays to remember that Frankenstein was not the monster,. he was the creator.
I fear that science is losing it perspective as truth seekers, and increaingly there objective are to create monsters.
December 6th, 2009 | 10:50 am
[...] have become with regards to the value, dignity, and the exceptionalism of human life is the NIH’s recent giddy announcement that there will be many more lines of embryos available to experiment on in nazi-isc [...]
December 9th, 2009 | 11:24 pm
Some additional info:
A few of the many diseases already treatable with ADULT stem cells:
**Spinal Cord Injuries – http://tinyurl.com/SCIvsASC
**Hearing Disorders – http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/hearing-disorders/
**Diabetes – http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/diabetes-stem-cells-a-brief-history/
**Heart Diseases – http://tinyurl.com/CARDIACvsASC and http://tinyurl.com/1stCARDIACbs
**Autism – http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/autism-stem-cells-a-brief-history/
**Heart Disease, Diabetes (Type 1 + 2), Cerebral Palsy, Amputation, Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis – http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/10/10/do-stem-cell-treatments-work/
December 19th, 2009 | 10:00 am
Stem cell therapy is set to become a major part of ATS, cancer, hearing loss treatments and of course plastic surgery. The need is however, is to ensure that these are stored in perfect condition before actually getting transplanted to the receiver’s body. This has made the industry of ‘controlled rate freezers’ to grow at a fast pace to keep up with the demand. I am doing a paper on ‘The Uses of Stem Cell Therapy and the Techniques of Storing Them’ and found your post valuable.
Cynthia Beattie Mcgill
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