Talk about having ones head in the sand
U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado (Democrat)Â made news this past week by endorsing Sen. Hillary Clinton for president. She’ll be back in the spotlight in coming weeks as she continues her fight for federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research in light of a promising new study that ordinary skin cells can be transformed into embryonic stem cells.
POST: What do you think about last week’s developments?
DeGETTE: To take adult stem cells and make them essential to other kinds of cells is a big breakthrough. But I would also sound a cautionary note that this research is really still in its nascent stages, and it is not — certainly at this point — a substitute for other kinds of research, like embryonic stem-cell research.
The religious right and the White House, every time there’s some other breakthrough, they want to say that’s a substitute for embryonic stem-cell research. In fact, we don’t know which of these types of research will end up being the research that will end up curing all these diseases.
What we do know is embryonic stem-cell research is almost 10 years ahead of this new type of discovery, and so there are a lot of advances coming, particularly out of Great Britain and some other countries, on skin regeneration on macular degeneration.
Diane, ESCs have cured nothing, at least not without creating monster tumors. Adult stem cells, on the other hand……well, check the list.Â
What is the point of ESC research? It is linked to keeping abortion on demand legal and available, pure and simple. Why else continue to research what obviously does not work?
Teach said: Why else continue to research what obviously does not work?
Not yet anyway. That’s how research works. You try different things. Manned flight didn’t work at first either – until we figured out how to make it work.
This new breakthrough in stem cells is promising, though. I hope it leads to more research in this area.
Degette is a textbook liberal feminist. I’ve never had the pleasure of NOT checking her box for I do not live in her district.
We’ve known for years now that adult stem cell research has shown the most promise. There is a reason government does not like to fund ESC research, the controversy, obviously; but they know it’s a waste of tax dollars. If ESC research was so promising, private investors would be placing their spare change into that barrel to reap the future, financial benefits. On the other hand, private investors don’t have a problem in investing in ASC research. That’s where their future profits lie.
Interesting how the left is all of a sudden “Wow, adult stem cell research seems promising.” Fuck that, we’ve been saying it for a long time.