Down here in Australia legislation is about to be past approving the use of embryos from the IVF program for stem cell research.
Stem cell research provides great hope for cures to such things as parkison disease, diabetes, paralysis.
Thats sounds great huh...well, not to everyone it seems.
As a sign that our society really aint as advanced as we would like to think; we still have a large lobby of religious idiots & right to lifers screaming murder. These idiots would actually have us think that using a bunch of cells for research to help improve the quality of life of some people with pretty horrible diseases and injuries is actually murder. As if a bunch of cells can be equated to human life...really
The logic of these people really shows through when you realize that this Stem cell research is going to be done with embryos that would have otherwise been flushed down the toilet anyway...completely unused. As if that aint """"'murder'""", as they would like to call it.
However, we still do have a rather spineless, conservative Prime minister with a certain religious bent. Although approving the use of stem cells. He's placed 3 conditions on this stem cell research in an attempt to reconcile common sense with conservative religious idiot opinion.
- a ban on cloning and use of embryos developed for the solely for research
- parental consent
- a ban on the use of embryos created after yesterday
I disagree with number 1. I really see no problem with creating embryos for the sole use of research. They are just a bunch of DNA and cells afterall. Number 2 is maybe understandable...maybe. But 3 is the real kicker. Before yesterday certain embryos could be used in research to help save someones life...but after yesterday, we'll just be flushing the embryo down the toilet again. Hell...I know who needs flushing, and it aint no embryo.