A quck note on the political front
Who, me? Political? Whoever would have thunk it.
The U.S. Senate this week, will consider no fewer than three separate bills that govern the discipline known as stem cell research. Let me say up front that I do not know what that term means, and that the government does us all a grave disservice by not carefully defining the term on a case by case basis. Stem cell research is controversial in some quarters as it is compared to abortion, (that is another debate altogether), though that is not always the case.
I am not taking a stand right now, only pointing out that life need not be destroyed to harvest some of these cells, and that much good can come from this effort, without treading on the 'right to life' ground. Stem cells can come from human placenta and umbilical cords, (stuff that is no longer needed by the orginal owner), from some parts of the living human organism, such as spinal fluid, blood, and, are you ready, some fat cells.
(Jenny Craig is missing the boat here...).
I believe that this field should be put out for all to see, and the 'non-controversial' parts voted up or down, with the political bloodletting and moral arguments left for those efforts that actually involve that sensitive issue.
My thought on the whole mess is this:
The Congress is considering pouring quite a few tax dollars into this area of research, for purposes that almost everyone would find laudable. In exchange for this financial and legislative backing, I want a piece of the action. If/when some miracle drug or cure is produced, I do not want it to be a huge profit engine for some company that, save for my revenue potential, would just as soon see me or anyone else dead. If I am investing in this technology, I want the end product to be available to me at or below cost. Period.
That or my tax dollars are paid back, with interest, at rates that would make a 'Vegas loan shark turn green with envy. Free enterprise my @$$.
The U.S. Senate this week, will consider no fewer than three separate bills that govern the discipline known as stem cell research. Let me say up front that I do not know what that term means, and that the government does us all a grave disservice by not carefully defining the term on a case by case basis. Stem cell research is controversial in some quarters as it is compared to abortion, (that is another debate altogether), though that is not always the case.
I am not taking a stand right now, only pointing out that life need not be destroyed to harvest some of these cells, and that much good can come from this effort, without treading on the 'right to life' ground. Stem cells can come from human placenta and umbilical cords, (stuff that is no longer needed by the orginal owner), from some parts of the living human organism, such as spinal fluid, blood, and, are you ready, some fat cells.
(Jenny Craig is missing the boat here...).
I believe that this field should be put out for all to see, and the 'non-controversial' parts voted up or down, with the political bloodletting and moral arguments left for those efforts that actually involve that sensitive issue.
My thought on the whole mess is this:
The Congress is considering pouring quite a few tax dollars into this area of research, for purposes that almost everyone would find laudable. In exchange for this financial and legislative backing, I want a piece of the action. If/when some miracle drug or cure is produced, I do not want it to be a huge profit engine for some company that, save for my revenue potential, would just as soon see me or anyone else dead. If I am investing in this technology, I want the end product to be available to me at or below cost. Period.
That or my tax dollars are paid back, with interest, at rates that would make a 'Vegas loan shark turn green with envy. Free enterprise my @$$.
posted by eccentric recluse at 11:38 AM
1 Comments:
I agree--there's a lot of talk about how advanced, medically, we are, but when it comes down to it, who gets the kind of "cutting edge" (so to speak) treatment we read about all the time? I mean, do I have to even check to see if my HMO covers stem cell cures?
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