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I am currently "nomail" on this List, because we are traveling on vacation (I am in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, as I write this), so I will not see any responses to this posting until I get home (August 20) and sign back on. So, if there is "opposition" (and I expect some!), please wait until next week to cast the flames :-) The following was posted on a Neurology List to which I belong. It was written by a neurologist who also suffers from a movement disorder, and who is also a lawyer. I think that it is a very well-though- out analysis of this difficult issue. ---------------------------------------------------------- These comments are mainly scientific in nature: 1. Stem cell research can be done on animals. 2. Human stem cells come from embryos, umbilical cord blood (so abundant but ignored), and even adults. Two of the 3 categories do not require destruction of human embryos. 3. I am skeptical about the claims advanced for stem cells. Myoblast transfer has been a failure in treatment of muscular dystrophy. This seems to be due to rejection of cells containing foreign cell surface antigens, a problem that would be likely to occur with transplanted stem cells. 4. The most vociferous advocates of embryonic stem cell research seem to be arguing against any restraints on medical research as much as anything else. These comments are political in nature: 1. Society has a right to regulate the permissible boundaries of medical research for safety and for moral reasons. This includes placebo controls, genetic therapies, and the use of human embryos. We should expect disagreements. 2. Human embryos have some legal rights. If born alive, they are entitled to recover damages for personal injuries (including medical malpractice) sustained while still embryos. If born alive, they are entitled to inherit property from persons who died before they were born. A person who attacks a woman and kills her embryo can be prosecuted for homicide. I am not making this up. This is the law. 3. The fact that a woman has legal rights superior to those of her unborn embryo or fetus, including the right to have an abortion, does not mean that the embryo has no rights. An embryo outside the womb is generally treated as property, but a human embryo may be able to acquire certain legal rights. After all, even the lower animals have some rights against mistreatment by humans. 4. Arrogance by scientists, if they are so foolish as to hold society in contempt, can lead to a backlash against researchers, especially if there is some incident that shocks the general public. President Bush has at least recognized that embryonic stem cell research has multiple aspects and that there are strong and incompatible beliefs among different persons. He has attempted to make a political decision that is consistent with the values of society. Whether his choice was wise will become apparent in the next few years. ===================================== I generally support what is written here. Best, Bob Robert A. Fink, M. D., F.A.C.S. Professional Corporation 2500 Milvia Street Suite 222 Berkeley, California 94704-2636 USA Phone: 510-849-2555 FAX: 510-849-2557 WWW: <http://www.rafink.com> mailto:[log in to unmask] "Ex Tristitia Virtus" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn