I don’t know if President Bush has ever heard of Separation of Church and State but if he ever finds the time, maybe he should read the first amendment of the constitution.
He is only the leader of the free world, so instead of smearing his opponent, John kerry, by questioning his military service, he should become more familiar with the laws that make up the foundation of this country.
You may say that I’m being partisan but no matter what party the President represents, it is so vital that he has a grasp on reality and the fundamental principles that have been applied for hundreds of years, so we can evolve as a society.
I am not privy to stomping on anybody’s religious beliefs but at some point we have to wake up and realize that science and discovery must be at the forefront of our nations priorities, as disease is more prevalent and affecting people on a larger scale.
It seems that instead of treating the people that already inhabit this planet we are obsessed with increasing family size and overpopulating this fragile ecosystem.
Families seem hell bent on having more children and only believing what their church leaders tell them, instead of looking at the big picture.
We’re not here to obtain all the earths natural resources to its limit and just mark our territory with our offspring, we are here to better ourselves and improve the quality of life for the people that are already here. The only way we can do this is by allowing scientists to find new methods to rid this country and beyond of life threatening illnesses.
For those of you not familiar with stem cells, it is a cell that can develop into many cell types which can make up tissues and organs in your body. Stem cells are the original cells that can develop into an entire organism.
Since these cells have the ability to divide at an endless rate it is capable of producing stem cells or most other types of cells. These stem cells can be used to replace damaged tissue and can treat a variety of terminal diseases such as Parkinson’s.
The controversy however resonates from the fact that in order to obtain these stem cells scientists must take them from the human embryo in its earliest stages. In the embryo are a hollow cluster of human cells called a Blastocyst and these embryonic stem cells can be grown and matured in a laboratory from the Blastocyst.
Before I get off my high horse I have to mention that not only does it replace damaged tissue but the stem cells can also can be used to test the affects of certain new drugs, basically eliminating any chance of harming humans or animals by using them as test subjects.
I’m not trying to give you a science lesson, as someone who struggled through high school genetics and chemistry, but for some reason or another many people that have a stance on the issue do not fully understand what stem cells are capable of. This ignorance and unabashed religious fanaticism has given this revolutionary research a black eye.
The scientists who have been working so hard to make this a reality are depicted unfairly and deemed as immoral or anti faith along with the research itself. To my understanding under the constitution, religious beliefs should not dictate how we live our lives and should not interfere with the pursuit of someone’s health or quality of life.
This issue, excuse the pun, stems back from August of 2001 when President Bush did approve of federal funding for stem cell research but only approved of the use of 72 stem cell groups. It may sound as if I’m being a little harsh after the information I just provided but for research of this magnitude 72 is a minuscule number, if your curing an overwhelming abundance of horrible diseases.
Most people against stem cell research fail to acknowledge that the stem cells that scientists want to include are stored away in many labs over the country and may not even be used. These conservatives have to take a long look in the mirror and decide whether they want to save the lives of millions of people for years to come or preserve these cells in a laboratory where they will serve absolutely no purpose.
It’s sickening to me that instead of wanting improving life, we want to worry about people that aren’t even born yet because of the selfishness and stubbornness of the religious right as they are tied down by their religious chains and fed the ideas of a close minded forum.
This theory of how immoral and ungodly obtaining stem cells from embryos has become comes from the same mind of someone who doesn’t believe in the principles of evolution.
Now you tell me if President Bush hasn’t impressed his belief system on his policies and pushed his religious beliefs on society. As a Catholic my whole life I can understand where many of these people are coming from but sometimes you have to use common sense in order to make a difference in someone’s life or a large group of lives.
As someone with a disability that has the potential to be treated by stem cells, I may have an obvious interest in this topic but most of you reading this magazine, who most likely have a disability, can be cured by this groundbreaking research as well.
You can think whatever you want, but after I tell you that every year, 30,000 Americans are stricken with horrible diseases that could be cured by the use of embryonic stem cells or stem cell transplants, you might want to reconsider your current position.
What is your opinion on stem cell research? Let us know at nathasha@audacitymagazine.com or join the Online Forum.