 |
 |
Exactly right on the first two paragraphs Wendy. We really should not have "leftovers" in the first place, but folks do what they WANT. But I disagree with your assumption about when life begins. Inquire any biologist, and they will tell you that human life begins at conception, or when the sperm and egg join, and the embryo is the beginning of human life. A new individual human being *begins* at fertilization . Show me a biologist who disagrees with that. You can't. Here are just some references: * In 1981 (April 23-24) a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee held hearings on the very question before us here: When does human life begin? Appearing to speak on behalf of the scientific community was a group of internationally-known geneticists and biologists who had the same story to tell, namely, that human life begins at conception - and they told their story with a profound absence of opposing testimony. Dr. Micheline M. Mathews-Roth, Harvard medical School, gave confirming testimony, supported by references from over 20 embryology and other medical textbooks that human life began at conception. * "Father of Modern Genetics" Dr. Jerome Lejeune told the lawmakers: /"To accept the fact that after fertilization has taken place a new human has come into being is no longer a matter of taste or opinion ... it is plain experimental evidence."/ * Dr. Hymie Gordon, Chairman, Department of Genetics at the Mayo Clinic, added: /"By all the criteria of modern molecular biology, life is present from the moment of conception."/ * Dr. McCarthy de Mere, medical doctor and law professor, University of Tennessee, testified: /"The exact moment of the beginning of personhood and of the human body is at the moment of conception."/ * Dr. Alfred Bongiovanni, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, concluded, /"I am no more prepared to say that these early stages represent an incomplete human being than I would be to say that the child prior to the dramatic effects of puberty ... is not a human being."/ * Dr. Richard V. Jaynes: /"To say that the beginning of human life cannot be determined scientifically is utterly ridiculous."/ * Dr. Landrum Shettles, sometimes called the "Father of In Vitro Fertilization" notes, /"Conception confers life and makes that life one of a kind."/ And on the Supreme Court ruling _Roe v. Wade_, /"To deny a truth /[about when life begins] /should not be made a basis for legalizing abortion."/ * Professor Eugene Diamond: /"...either the justices were fed a backwoods biology or they were pretending ignorance about a scientific certainty."/ Wendy Siegel wrote: >I think the question of what to do with the leftover embryos in clinics >is a good example of not thinking things through before doing them. >There IS an ethical issue about how to handle these embryos - that is >why many couples are on the fence, making NO decision. They don't want >any more kids, but they don't feel comfortable destroying the embryo(s). > > >I believe that we have in vitro clinics because people ignored these >issues in favor of obtaining what they WANTED, the thought (if they >thought about it at all) was probably that they would deal with that >decision when the time came (act now, ask questions later). Well, for >many, the time has come, and now they are struggling with the >consequences of their choice. > >Because we CAN'T know when life begins (anyone's definition will just be >a guess), I feel very hesitant about embryonic stem cell research. >However, I also feel strongly that if they are to be destroyed anyway, >they may as well "die" for a cause. I actually find the concept of >abortion much more difficult than this topic, as the embryos are much >further developed. However, there are actually valid considerations on >both sides of the abortion issue as well. > >Wendy > >-----Original Message----- >... > >I think the in vitro clinic issue is really important because those >embryos, unlike SCNT are the result of fertilization. You know that it >often takes more than just one to produce a live birth. So, embryos are >being produced and destroyed so that infertile couples can reproduce. >Is that OK? If not, what is going to be done with all those extra >embryos? Why is this being ignored? > AND STILL GOING ON? > >It seems to me that opponents of both kinds of stem cell research need >to >deal with this question and they are not doing it. >Ray > >---------------------------------------------------------------------- >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