From Pro-Life Wisconsin:
Madison Area Technical College — aka MATC — has become the first two-year college in the nation to offer an embryonic stem cell research program. Press release here [PDF]. News story here.
Madison Area Technical College — aka MATC — has become the first two-year college in the nation to offer an embryonic stem cell research program. Press release here [PDF]. News story here.
Somewhat surprising, given that embryonic stem cell research giant Geron Corp. got out of the embryonic stem cell research business in November:
To understand how big a blow to the embryonic stem cell industry this was, you first must know it was Geron that funded the University of Wisconsin Madison’s original research back in 1995, which resulted in the first cultures of embryonic stem cells. It was Geron that started this whole mess.Geron went on to comprise one-third of the triune that controlled which company or university got access to embryonic stem cell lines, along with the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.In all, Geron invested 15 years and a whopping $150 million into embryonic stem cell research.
Interesting that a taxpayer-funded college picked up where a for-profit company left off… There is always work to be done with taxpayer funding, apparently.
Sacrificing people in the name of science has been and always will be gravely immoral. Whether it occurs at UW-Madison or MATC, directly or indirectly participating in embryo-destructive research is unethical and must be prohibited. As the state of Wisconsin nurtures the ever advancing bioscience industry, it must ensure that our publicly funded academic institutions adhere to the highest ethical standards.
The pro-life community is pro-stem cell research. We want to see research progress toward the treatment of debilitating diseases, but not by killing human beings in order to potentially save them. Ethical and effective adult stem cell research is a life-saving alternative that has experienced documented clinical success over a wide range of health conditions including breast cancer, stroke, and spinal cord injury. It is this life-affirming scientific technique that should be celebrated and funded.
4 comments:
Your tax dollars at work, huh? Morons. Wonderful things are being done with stem cells in dogs. They harvest the cells from the dogs' own belly fat, process them on the spot, inject them back in and voila - lots of cures for (so far) all kinds of orthopedic problems. They're also going full-speed ahead on research for other ailments in dogs using the dogs' OWN stem cells. No dog embryos have to die, either. Pity the wizards of smart at Madison Area Tech don't realize how passe embryonic stem cell research is for any species. Not only the future, but the present, is using ADULT stem cells from the patient in question, to effect cures.
The college probably bought and paid Geron for the project, big tax money. Geron knew that embryonic stem cells have to be brought through four stages to adult stem cell before being used and then anti rejection drugs given. Not a single cure. What a swindle.
I had forgotten how involved Geron was with UW in ESC research. It definitely makes some maneuvers the UW was making during the few weeks before the announcement of Geron's closure a little more suspicious-looking. Sometimes I wish I had taken an investigative journalism course; I can smell these things out, but have no idea how to start digging to find out how far down it goes.
Kat -- email me:)
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