 |
 |
Research Cuts Draw Opposition By JUSTIN BORON Published , Tuesday, November 04, 2003, 06:00:01 AM EDT At a University symposium Monday, advocates of stem-cell research said President Bush's decrease in medical research funding could be disastrous to efforts to cure diseases like Parkinson's disease. Morton Kondracke, a FoxNews journalist, said the funding decrease affects him personally because his wife has struggled with Parkinson's disease for 13 years. "(The decrease) is something that needs to be protested," said Kondracke, one of the researchers on the panel. Kondracke, who said he's experienced in the American political scene, said the funds researchers need are "pocket change in the federal system of things." Despite its relatively cheap cost in proportion to the national budget, he said the cure of a disease would be beneficial to Bush's administration. Calling the fund decrease "politically short-sighted," Kondracke said he finds the cutting of the medical budget even more confusing because it would actually be cost effective to cure the disease as well. "It costs much more to treat than to cure," he said. Kondracke also noted that medical funding cuts affect the advancement toward cures of diseases across the board. The forum participants also addressed the ethical concerns that arise when discussing stem cell research. Stem cells are able to develop into many different cell types in the body, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell or a brain cell. They can divide to replenish other cells in the body while the person or animal is living. Stem cells are special because when they divide, the new cells can develop into other cell types in the body -- such as muscle cells, red blood cells or brain cells. Celeste Condit, a research professor in speech communications at the University, attributed the national debate over the use of embryos to a failure for society's ethics to develop along with scientific advancement. She explained that this "new science" complicates the central question dividing "right to life" advocates and stem cell researchers -- where does life begin? "Life does not begin at any place," she said. Steven Stice, director of the University Bioscience Initiative, said a possible solution to the ethical dilemma could remain unreachable if medical research funding continues to decrease. SOURCE: Red and Black http://www.redandblack.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/11/04/3fa72652d1f46 * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn