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Very interesting and thought-provoking response, Wendy. We certainly have become a "buy now" and "pay later" society. There are cogent arguments put forth on both sides of this debate. We can only hope that everything surrounding stem cell research, SCNT, and related areas doesn't result in focusing all of our energies in one place and putting all of our eggs into one basket. Perhaps if we knew for certain that a cure for PD definitely lies there, some people would have different feelings about it. In the end, everyone has to follow his or her own conscious, of course. I think of the women who have chosen to die in childbirth in order to give their struggling-to-be-born child a chance at life (Catholic theological debating aside -- not all who have done this were Catholic). Others already had families so perhaps it seemed more important not to leave their other children motherless. Where are the easy choices in any of these matters? Are we all for a cure for this miserable disease? Of course. On that we can agree. Would we say we are in favor of a cure at any price? That's another question entirely. Thanks for all of this food for thought, Wendy. Great opportunity to sit and ponder some of these matters and exercise those "little grey cells." Carole ----- Original Message ----- From: "Wendy Siegel" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Sunday, April 04, 2004 11:09 AM Subject: Re: stem cell research/Fink/in vitro clinics > 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