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A former boss liked to point out what floats to the surface of stagnant water.... Quoting Nic Marais <[log in to unmask]>: > A good friend of mine summed it up nicely; "The World has turned upside down > and all the *ssholes have drifted to the top." > > Nic 57/15 > > > On Wed, Apr 1, 2009 at 3:46 AM, rayilynlee <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > Group Accuses Obama of 'Enslaving' Embryos, Compares Policy to Holocaust > > The National Association for the Advancement of Preborn Children is urging > > a federal judge to halt Obama's plans to infuse embryonic stem cell > research > > with federal funds. > > By Mike Levine > > FOXNews.com > > Tuesday, March 31, 2009 > > > > A group opposed to abortion and embryonic stem cell research is accusing > > President Obama of violating the constitutional rights of a frozen embryo > > and "enslaving" it, like Nazis enslaved Jews during the Holocaust. > > > > The group is urging a federal judge to halt Obama's plans to infuse > > embryonic stem cell research with federal funds. In a lawsuit filed > > Thursday, the group said it was taking legal action on behalf of "Mary > Scott > > Doe" -- described as a "U.S. citizen" whose life has been "suspended" > since > > "she" was frozen in liquid nitrogen -- and thousands of other embryos just > > like "her." > > > > "She is entitled to due process and the equal protection of the laws and > to > > be free from slavery and involuntary servitude, as guaranteed by the > > Fourteenth and Thirteenth Amendments," said the lawsuit, filed by Maryland > > attorney Martin Palmer, who heads the National Association for the > > Advancement of Preborn Children. > > > > In early March, Obama issued an executive order reversing the Bush > > administration's limits on embryonic stem cell research, in effect opening > > the door for an influx of federal dollars toward such research. Embryos > have > > to be destroyed to create stem cells for research, but many scientists > > believe it could lead to cures or treatments for serious ailments, > including > > Parkinson's Disease and diabetes. > > "That potential will not reveal itself on its own," Obama said in > > announcing his plans. "Medical miracles do not happen simply by accident. > > They result from painstaking and costly research, from years of lonely > > trial and error -- much of which never bears fruit -- and from a > government > > willing to support that work." > > > > The lawsuit filed Thursday said Obama is "treating human embryos, and, > > thus, human beings as property" that "may be donated for use and > destruction > > in federally-funded [research] ... without the consent of and against the > > will of the embryos themselves." > > > > According to a 2003 study by the Rand Corporation, about 400,000 embryos > > have been frozen and stored for future use, but the vast majority of them > > are designated for future attempts at pregnancy. Only about 11,000 have > been > > designated for research. > > > > Nevertheless, the lawsuit said any frozen embryos designated for research, > > by their inherent state, are "entirely incapable of giving an informed > > consent to their use," insisting that every embryo has "a will to live and > > develop into a fully-formed human being." Therefore, the lawsuit said, > stem > > cell research is "a form of slavery or involuntary servitude in violation > of > > the Thirteenth Amendment." > > > > The lawsuit compared the use of embryos in stem cell research to the human > > experiments Jews endured during the Holocaust. > > "The utilitarian thinking underlying [President Obama's] proposed > > government funding of human embryo stem cell research and experimentation > is > > what led to the Nazi experimentation on concentration camp prisoners > during > > World War II," the lawsuit said, noting that after all the Nazi > experiments > > on humans "not a single advance for medical science resulted." > > > > The lawsuit is asking -- actually, "praying" in its words -- for a federal > > judge in Maryland to declare Obama's executive order "null and void," to > > rule that "Mary Scott Doe" and other frozen embryos are "persons" entitled > > to due process under the Constitution, and to order Obama to "cease and > > desist any and all plans to fund or otherwise facilitate, assist or > > encourage the undertaking of any human embryo stem cell experimentation." > > > > This is the latest in a series of similar lawsuits filed by Palmer over > the > > past several years. > > In 1995, he filed a lawsuit to halt research recommended by the National > > Institutes of Health under President Bill Clinton. A federal district > court > > and a federal court of appeals in Virginia dismissed the case after > > determining it had no legal standing, and the U.S. Supreme Court then > > rebuffed Martin's efforts to have the highest court in the land hear the > > case. > > > > Ten years later, in 2005, Martin filed a lawsuit in California, arguing > > that a 2004 law expanding state money for stem cell research violated the > > constitutional rights of a frozen embryo named "Mary Scott Doe." Its > > language, including the reference to Nazi experiments, was nearly > identical > > to the lawsuit filed this week against President Obama. That lawsuit was > > dismissed. > > > > Rayilyn Brown > > Director AZNPF > > Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation > > [log in to unmask] > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > 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 > ---------------------------------------------- This mail sent through http://www.ukonline.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn