You know, the situation in Lebanon and Israel is really a boon for Bushy. Cause he thinks that all of us common, mainstream Americans aren't going to notice his veto of the Stem Cell Research Bill. I can't quite figure out if he really believes that this is morally wrong (as my lovely, yet misguided DH believes) or if he just hasn't been touched personally by a disease that could be helped by this research. Because I would think you would have to be one heartless bastard, who believes in an extremely unjust God to have sat at the bedside of someone afflicted with a neurological illness, or cancer or alzheimer's and not get that we need this technology to move forward. You know that it's utterly ridiculous when there are Republicans openly supporting this research (not just nodding their heads quietly in assent behind closed doors.
Usually, I'm just angry, but this one really nauseates me. Perhaps it's my gene pool. While I don't have a firm grasp of the illnesses on my biological father's side of the family here's a quick list of what runs on mom's side: alzheimer's, pancreatic cancer ( a whole freaking lot of pancreatic cancer, heart disease, prostate cancer, diabetes, carotid artery disease, and huntington's chorea. Now, I'm no scientist, but I can imagine that there are quite a few of those that will be helped if not cured completely by the innovations stem cell research will provide. I watched my Aunt and godfather die twenty years apart from one another . . . she got four months, he got nine . . . if Bill Frist thinks in the future that we will have hearts that will be able to regenerate themselves, wouldn't you think that pancreatic cancer might have a shot at if not cure, then at least more time? For those of you who don't know 4% (read that again if you need to) live past 5 years of diagnosis. Oh, and 80% die within months of diagnosis. Cheery, huh? And furthermore, it's on the rise. I'm sure there are many reasons why it's on the rise (our diets, smoking, drinking, combining all three in a deadly cocktail), but what are we doing for diseases like this?
When Michael J. Fox shows up at the door to your senatorial office, how in the hell do you look at him and say, sorry, can't help ya big guy. Or Christopher Reeve. Or any number of Joe Schmo's that are affected by this each and every day. What kind of wacko are you to think that all those spare (and I'm using that word with reason) embryos are going to get adopted? And I love when they tie it to abortion . . . oh we can't use embryos because it's going to cause the abortion number to rise. Hello? The majority of the embryos they need to use are 5-day-old embryos. How many 5 day into a pregnancy abortions are going on?
Do I really need to go on?
And from the duh! file, the House rejected the Gay Marriage Ban Amendment. Welcome to the party people. Leave us alone. Fix your own messes and stay the hell out of my personal business.
7 comments:
I'm right behind you on that march, sister. I am so tired of the crap about "morality." Bush doesn't mind killing people in the name of a bullshit war (or uncured disease) but you'd better not touch that clump of cells once the sperm hits the egg. And don't even get me started on the environment...
Totally with you, girl! And so is my son. When Bush got re-elected he was 8 and we were sitting in a crowded restaurant. There was a TV on and the announcement came through that Bush had won. In the kind of loud voice that only a small child can muster, he announced that we had to move to Canada!
I was checking out your profile and noticed that you listed "The Upside of Anger" as a favorite film. Not only did I love that film, but I was beginning to think that I was the only one who saw it!
I wish more people had seen that movie. First of all, what an interesting twist. Secondly, I thought she was an amazing character. What an arc. and thirdly, due to the fact that my DH is quite a few years older than I am, I totally related to the Shep part of the movie, although whereas he is a derelict, my husband rocks. I have recommended that movie to everyone.
Now, with the veto of the stem cell bill I find myself praying that the Shrub comes down with Parkinsons, MS, cancer etc all that might have been cured by stem cell research. AND I'd want to be the MD to tell him he has 3 months to live and too bad you vetoed that stem cell bill because you might live longer, I guess God must want you dead!
I love the logic of these people in power...save the embryo's....kill the brown people. Makes sense doesn't it?
What worries me about embryonic stem cell research is its implications for the future. If it is okay to destroy an embryo to harvest its cells, is it okay to create one just to form those cells? If that's okay, where in the development of the embryo does it stop being okay -- when it looks like a baby? when it moves?
I know that there are many embryos out there that will never develop and I can see where people view them as being wasted, but to me not using those cells is about drawing a clear line that we wil not go past.
No, I don't have a neurological disease, yet. However, there are strong lines of both MS and AD in my immediate family and sometimes I feel like I am just waiting for the oncoming storm.
Still, I just see embryo cell harvesting as a slippery hill. If we accept that, where is the next debate? If newborn cells hold the key to curing cancer, would it be okay to harvest them, but just from the severely handicapped? Would it be okay to engineer ones especially for harvest?
I'm sure some people think these implications have nothing to do with the embryonic stem cell issue, but as one senator said on the floor, "in twenty years, people won't even believe we had this debate."
That's what frightens me.
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