Are you in favor of embryonic stem-cell research?

Rita Marie · Aug 3, 2001

I will avoid comments like "slippery slope," and so on. I am not in favor of embryonic stem cell research. We know that life starts at conception, if it didn't then the cells wouldn't continue to grow. Left to mature, what do you get? A baby!

I believe that honest attempts at using adult stem cells and those of newborns and placental tissue have not been fully explored. People have a tremendous ability to exploit and profit from things that they shouldn't. Embryonic stem cells are "handy." They can be selective about who/what they clone or extract cells from.

We know as nurses that none of us gets out of this world alive...we all die eventually--no matter what we grasp at to try to avoid it. I could not in good faith try to "cure" any of my illnesses if it meant that someone else (no matter how young) was literally created and destroyed for my sake.

We know that science can do a lot of good things--but creating a class of people that we use as we see fit is nothing more than slavery. Which has been outlawed in our nation for a number of years, as well it should be!

haloangelrn · Aug 3, 2001

This isn't a question of if stem cell reasearch should be done or not. It's not even a question of where the stem cells should come from. The debate is actually about whether or not the United States government will use tax payers dollars to fund such research. Somehow this has turned into a pro-life, pro-choice issue before the debate even got started, dooming most real discussions on the topic to an immediate, polarized, very emotionl response. Stem cell research is happening today, around the world. You may say that you don't care who develops the life saving research first, but would you be so quick to judge if your child was the one with a spinal cord injury that french researchers have found a cure for, but isn't available in the United States. I don't approve of "making" embryos for the specific purpose of doing stem cell research. I do believe in maximizing all readily available resources to further the life saving practices we help to carry out every day. Not using embryonic stem cells isn't going to stop abortion or freezing embryo practices or fertility clinics.

debbyed · Aug 3, 2001

HaloangelRN hit the nail on the head as far a I am concerned. I really get sick and tried of individuals (whether they be pro-life or supporters of planned parenthood) trying to turn every issue into another fight for their cause.

Stem cells come from many places, not just test tubes and abortions. There are more miscarriages than live births and with the ease of home pregnancy tests many of these women come in to the ER. Why shouldn't the stem cells be harvested. Stem cell are in umbilical/placentas and in many places parents can choose to keep them in a stem cell bank. If they choose not to than why not research. Abortions will still happen whether we like it or not so why waste a valuable research tool?

And to Rita Marie, how about if it is not for you but for your child? I know I would walk from heaven to hell to save my child.

julspa · Aug 3, 2001

I don't want to get into the pro-life/pro-choice debate either, but one must admit however nasty the subject is--abortion is another facet of life---this is not a 20th century thing---only the funding and legalization.

Isn't it a further tragedy to ignore the aborted life, than to try and further the lives of others---isn't that what organ procurement is all about---ghoulishly approaching families with those on life support to ask for the organs so that others may live? There isn't a sale on these organs---perhaps the same approach should be taken with the stem cells.

I too, would go to the ends of the earth to save my children, but one must be in that situation before you can make these kinds of statements--not all research works with experimentation on animals.

Rita Marie · Aug 3, 2001

And to Rita Marie, how about if it is not for you but for your child? I know I would walk from heaven to hell to save my child. [/b]

-----

First I would like to clarify--I am not opossed to stem cell research--only research that comes from embryonic stem cells. There are so many other sources that have not been throughly studied.

If my child were to be in a position where stem cell use was necessary--then I would want the physicians to use the other sources that are available.

If my grand child needed a stem cells transplant (etc) then I would make sure that my daughter and son-in-love knew the sources that stem cells are obtained from before they went ahead with any procedure.

:rolleyes:

Q. · Aug 3, 2001

I am in favor of stem cell research, but am not for the practice of "creating embryos" for that purpose.

Along the same lines of using/needing stem cells, there is also a relatively inexpensive and painless procedure - if you are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant - that may help to save the life of you, your child, or his/her siblings - and that would be cord blood collection.

JennieBSN · Aug 6, 2001

See, that's what I think, Susy....we do a LOT of cord blood collection in my neck of the woods, b/c there's a cord blood donor banking program here. People come from Canada, Pakistan, Bolivia...all over the world to get treatments from cord blood stem cells from our banks here. When I first heard about the whole do we or don't we issue of stem cell research, I was like, 'why?? it's just cord blood??' I am not in favor of creating embryos for stem cell harvesting, but man...the cord blood and placental stem cells from full-term healthy births are plentiful. I think that is definitely an untapped resource.

I do agree also that let's stay outta the whole pro-life vs. pro-choice mess. Not the point of this discussion, folks.

hoolahan, ASN, RN · Aug 6, 2001

I agree Suzy K, your words were almost verbatim of what I would say.

When I first heard of this, I was under the impression that the stem cells would come from cord blood from full-term babies, though I am not opposed to having someone sign a consent to use the cord blood from a miscarriage or aborted embryo.

I was absolutely appalled to think that people would clone human embryos strictly for this purpose. WHY??? Is what I am also asking kday. :confused:

JennieBSN · Aug 6, 2001

ummmmm, margaret, what are you asking me?

Nurse2BinNC · Aug 6, 2001

Hi, I am new here. I was just accepted to Nursing school, but I have very strong feelings about this topic. You see, My 10 year old Daughter was diagnosed with diabetes last year. Our Endocrinologist has encouraged all of his patients to write our congressmen and the White House about this subject. There are many great things being done all over the world with stem cell research, Why should America be in the Shadows in this. Our Endo beleives that with stem cell research that they may able to finally work on a cure for diabetes or at least find away to prevent the pancreas from completely shutting down. Some one mentioned earlier in this post, that If your child was ill that they might feel differently about this. Diabetes is a terrible desease and it is effecting children so much more than in the past. If there is anything that can be done to help these children, I beleave that we owe it to them to help. :)

nurs4kids · Aug 6, 2001

Tammy said it best. I've watched countless kids die. Not a parent here can honestly say if they were watching their child die that they wouldn't be in favor of whatever it took to save them. I'm not in favor of cloning, this thought actually scares me. However, you'd better believe if I was faced with the possibility of losing my child vs going against some moral/ethical practices, I'd opt to save my child without a second thought. Because I'm not faced with this, thank God, should I have the right to alter the chance of life to someone else's kid or loved one? Not for a second. Come take one walk through our stem cell unit...then say you're against the research

Tracy