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Dear List, I hope to have an advocacy listserv running very soon. Please keep a look out for the official announcement. Terry Bowers [log in to unmask] http://www.terrybowers.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi ----- Original Message ----- From: "FrankandTeri" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2002 3:33 PM Subject: A crime? maybe, maybe not but why insult people > While I understand most people posting here are very passionate about their > beliefs because they are directly or indirectly affected by the ravages of > this disease. The function of this list should to be disseminate > information, dispel inaccurate information and to lend hope and > encouragement to all. > > Posting of insults to anyone's beliefs serves no real purpose except to > inflate the ego of the one that is putting down another's belief. When > Rayilyn Brown uses words like "Flat Earth Thinkers...stalling humane > progress" it does not meet her stated objective of "Hoping people will look > at this with an open Mind" > > Why insult a person you would hope to share enlightenment with. > > I would urge everyone to share enlightenment, not fuel another's persons > equally impassioned belief that may not match yours. Support an argument > through respectful logical support of your belief not through disrespectful > name calling of those who do not believe the same. > > With all due respect rewrite your article prior to publication. It just may > have a better chance of enlightenment. Your audience is not those who > believe the same, it is those whom you wish to convince. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Rayilyn Brown" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2002 3:43 PM > Subject: A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY > > > > Dear supporters of Feinstein Bill 2439: > > > > This will be my second column in The Californian.probably this weekend. I > was > > restricted to 600 words. If anyone wants to see the longer one let me > know. > > Also, feel free to use all or in part, or change a few words, add to it > to > > spread the word. I'm in Murritea, California. > > > > A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY > > “We must not create life to destroy it”, insisted President Bush in his > > ill-advised call for a ban on therapeutic cloning. Last summer the House > also > > prematurely jettisoned therapeutic along with reproductive cloning in an > > unprecedented display of ignorance about the difference between the two. > > > > For the first time in human history cures for diseases that shorten and > > devastate the lives of millions of people and their families may be within > > the grasp of medical researchers. This giant step for mankind may not be > > taken if the Senate passes the Brownback bill instead of the Feinstein > bill, > > which prohibits only reproductive cloning. The Brownback bill not only > bans > > Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer(SCNT) therapeutic cloning, but even worse, > > imposes Draconian criminal penalties of $100,000.00 and ten years in > prison > > for researchers and patients who go abroad for treatment. > > > > Therapeutic cloning involves using an unfertilized egg and a patient’s own > > DNA to cure his disease. So, just whose life is being taken when SCNT is > > used, the “eggshell” or the person’s own delayed twin? There would be no > > twin as both bills ban reproductive cloning. Wouldn’t this procedure in > fact > > “create life” by making it worth living or allowing a pain-free normal > life > > span for people of all ages? > > > > When “life” with civil rights begins is a question of where to draw the > > line. However, opponents of SCNT seem to want to push it back to the > “glint > > in your father’s eye”, or a romantic candlelight dinner. A baby girl is > > born with approximately 150,000 eggs. Does anyone really expect 150,000 > live > > births from one female? Eggs are lost every month. Is anyone going to > > retrieve them? And what about those poor little guys, those billions of > > sperm? Sadly, there is not an egg for every sperm. > > > > Therapeutic cloning does not use fetuses or babies, but germ and somatic > > cells. For over 20 years the cloning of cells and genes have been used to > > produce medicines, diagnostics and vaccines to treat a whole host of > > maladies, track the origin of biological weapons, catch criminals, free > > innocent people, and produce new plants and livestock. Furthermore, there > is > > a long history of voluntarily imposed constraints and ethical moratoria on > > biotechnology research by physicians and scientists themselves. > > > > So why do opponents of SCNT fear rampaging clones? Unfounded concerns have > > been expressed in the past about new medical therapies, now routine, which > > are not forced on anyone. For example, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not use > blood > > transfusions. People who oppose organ transplants don’t donate theirs to > give > > life to others. Those who originally objected to in vitro fertilization as > > “playing God” may now applaud the birth of litters without regard for the > > extra embryos that are routinely destroyed in the process. Opponents of > SCNT > > have a right to their beliefs and a moral commitment to non-existent > > entities, but not the right to deny life-saving medical therapies to those > > who do not share them. > > > > The challenges of the 21st century are different from those faced by our > > ancestors sitting in cold caves eating raw meat thousands of years ago. > > Since science has so far outdistanced religion and politics in the last > > century, it is difficult for all of us to make a rational and humane > decision > > in this matter. Nevertheless, we are all morally obligated to try to > > understand the science of SCNT before we reject it. It has taken us a long > > time to come this far and it would be a terrible shame and great crime > > against humanity if the descendants of the flat earth thinkers succeed in > > stalling human progress and hope. > > > > Rayilyn Brown > > [log in to unmask] > > 40697 Corte Albara > > Murrieta, CA 92562-5513 > > 909-696-0908 > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn