George W. Bush just excercised the first veto of his presidential career, rejecting a bill that allow federal funding of embroyonic stem cell research. The great majority of funding for basic research (and even applied medical research) comes from the U.S. Government, mainly done at universities, government laboratories (CDC, NIH, etc.); and non-profit research labs that also get government money.This means that, unless the veto is overriden by Congress, the ban on federal funding for embroyonic stem cell research will stand. This means that medical research in the area will largely move out of the U.S.Some politicians are saying that the adult stem cells can be used instead, and the few lines of embroyonic stem cells that are legally in use in the U.S. are sufficient, but they can't produce a stem cell researcher who agrees...yet they keep saying it.I listened to a radio interview a couple of weeks ago, where a researcher was having great success in regenerating parts of nerve cells in rodents, using embroyonic stem cells (it works as long as the body of the nerve cell remains intact). There is reason to believe that it will work in higher mammals, like humans. He plausibly explained why it wouldn't have worked with adult stem cells.It should be noted that the embryos from with stem cells would be harvested from abandoned in-vitro fertilized eggs. There are 400,000 of them currently in storage, and almost all of them will be disposed of (a bit over 100 of them have been "adopted").Some would argue that Bush's veto is political pandering to his evangelical conservative base, but that it will prove to be very unpopular with the voters at large, as were Bush's actions during the Terri Schiavo debacle.
-
Fetal stem cell reasearch veto
-
Oh the man is an idiot! A religious pile of poo! What kind of country votes a man like that into power? Twice!! Really??
-
Its still funny.
-
The U.S.'s loss is Ireland's gain, in terms of biomedical research.
-
If the US wants to remain the number 1 power in the long-term then it needs to encourage science, not work against it. With a potential rise of Europe and China, now is a really inconveniant time for the US to have a religeous-right/isolationist revival. Its becomming apparant to libertarian-right over here that we no longer have a true ideological ally in the Republican party. For the sake of western civilisation, please put a Democrat in power. I really dont want my countries ally to be a theocracy.
-
libertarian-right over here that we no longer have a true ideological ally in the Republican partyThat is for sure. I can understand why a libertarian would not feel kinship a religious kleptocracy, with a party that that so easily erodes personal liberties and privacy (all in the name of freedom and democracy), while spending as much money as it possibly can, and while giving lip service to fair domestic elections.
-
Exactly. It goes against everything Thatcherite Conservatism and the Tory party stands for. It goes against everything the Republican party of old stood for. What happened to small-government and no meddling? Telling scientists they cant research certain areas sounds like meddling to me!Continentle Europe is experiencing a similar shift towards religeon with their right wing. I have seen no signs this is happeneing with the British conservatism, thankgod (or thankThatcher, rather), but in time the rest of the world may pull us with them. Dammit, get your democrats in power.
-
Not likely. With the Pro-Life Amendment in Ireland, we can't even kill our babies, nevermind experiment on them. Fucking 80s gobshites...
-
You can kill your babies (if you wnat to use that term), you just have to cross St Georges channal, or enter proddy country, to do it
-
Bastard. Its the Irish Sea and you damn know it!! And we can't even go up the North, its still illegal there. And legally a woman can only go to Great Britain for an abortion if the pregnancy causes any risk to the health of the mother.
-
I thought Ireland cast off the shackles of the Catholic church once that realized that the Irish version was run by sadists and perverts, top to bottom. What ever happened to all of those pregnant single girls?
-
The church has very little control these days, nobody trusts them. But there is still a high number of Catholics that are Pro-Life. And recently whenever we've had a chance to change it in a referendum there were never enough votes. There was a majority but just not enough.And all the single girls go over to England for abortions, its just that the law states that Health care clinics and Family Planning Clinics can't assist in abortions unless the pregnancy puts risk on the mother's health.
-
Bush is an absolute moron!His puritanical, bible thumping dogma is going to knock America back a century.And he stands there with that big stupid grin as though he just outsmarted the entire, heathenistic world.I swear, he needs a big kiss on the mouth... from my right doc martin!
-
But he makes one hell of a cup of coffee.
-
In reply to: Some politicians are saying that the adult stem cells can be used instead, and the few lines of embroyonic stem cells that are legally in use in the U.S. are sufficient, but they can't produce a stem cell researcher who agrees I believe I have seen at least a couple of accounts of researchers who agree that research on adult stem cells is not only sufficient, but possibly superior. I'll try to dig them up.Once again, everyone is pretending this is only a scientific issue. It's much more than that.
-
Welcome Back!
-
Hmm, I'm willing to take one for the team and give him a blowjob. Then (if Chance's sig has taught me anything) you guys should be able to impeach him.
-
I was addressing all the American political leaders who frequent this forum.
-
You don't live in one of the states that use the death penalty, right? Good, then you'll be fine...
