Are you in favor of embryonic stem-cell research?

fiestynurse · Aug 11, 2001

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micareli · Aug 24, 2001

There is joke that I once heard:

There were a bunch of people standing around a fence. On the day of reckoning, Jesus came and took to heaven the people that had accepted Him as their Lord and Savior/Messiah; shortly therafter Satan showed up and took the people that belonged to him.

Once person was left sitting on the fence: He did not choose to follow Jesus nor did he choose to follow satan:

Shortly after this Satan reppeared and told the fence sitter to come with him, the fence sitter, I do not belong to you. I did not choose Jesus and I did not choose you. I chose to sit on this fence and make no decision.

Satan said to him you do not understand. You are mine. I own the fence.

The moral here is: when people donot want to talk about the stem cell in the context of a moral decision. Many have said I do not want to discuss it as pro life or pro murder issue; but some day it will be required of us all to make a decision... I personally will be able to look at God the Judge and say I fought the good fight, I tried to turn the tide against the murderers who tried to kill what you had created. God tells us that he knew us before we were in the womb ( I believe this also applies to test tube babies).

As Nurses we lose alot we save alot. We laugh with our patient and we cry with them, sometimes we carry their burden home with us.... next month my focus will dramatically change as I will become a staffer in a Hospice Unit.... I have been working inthe ICU/CCU/ER through an agency.

Two years ago I lost an 18 y/o to DKA... It still bothers me, But I never would allow my feelings to change into that it is ok to kill something that is living or can be grown into a living being.

Another opinion form a "prolifer" RN.

mike

fergus51 · Aug 24, 2001

I don't believe embryos are people, so I am in favor of this research which could save real people. I don't see how we can allow abortion and then say we won't allow stem cell research. I don't see a difference except that research can benefit millions of people.

micareli · Aug 24, 2001

To respond to Fergus51.... I do not believe that abortion should be allowed.... The technology is there to keep the baby well until viability, then deliver, and take the chances with a live baby.

Killing a baby is NEVER... NEVER.... NEVER right in any circumstances...

Before everyone tries to kill me with the what about/what if situations... What if Rape, What if incest, what if downs, what if what if what if......If a Frog had wings he would not bump his butt all day long.

I repeat the killing of an innocent baby is NEVER acceptable.

From a Christian viewpoint.... If satan sends evil( rape, incest, etc) than God will send something good from that evil.... and if God sends a baby then that baby is good, not bad, and should not die. I have meet many women who was raped, some by different races than themselves, they became pregnant... some now have grandchildren.... because they allowed God to use the evil that had been visited upon them to become good, their child regardless of the form of conception was raised by the mother and in some cases the husband who adopted his wife's baby that was conceived by a rapist. That child grew up to have children of their own and and now hte rape victim is a happy mother and grandmother.

I know others who have murdered their baby due to conceptioon by rape.... they have been mentally unstable ever since, they can't get past the knowledge that they killed their baby.

mike

Originally posted by fergus51
I don't believe embryos are people, so I am in favor of this research which could save real people. I don't see how we can allow abortion and then say we won't allow stem cell research. I don't see a difference except that research can benefit millions of people.

fergus51 · Aug 24, 2001

I never meant to imply you thought abortion was ok Mike, just that the majority of the country accepts it as law. I don't bring the same religious point of view you have to the debate because I am not a real christian (unless having a Xmas tree makes me one) and haven't attended church in years for various reasons.

I don't believe a person is a person until it can live on its own outside the womb. I have never considered an embryo a person. Because of that I am pro-choice and if I am pro-choice I think it would be contradictory for me to be against stem cell research.

As an aside, I don't think children conceived in any way are bad (I am the result of an unplanned pregnancy myself), and I never meant to imply that. Also, I do know women who have had abortions and they are not mentally unstable at all. Maybe you should start a thread on abortion as it seems to be a different topic.

AmberNoelle · Aug 24, 2001

I agree with you Fergus. I don't believe embryos are people either. However I don't like the idea of creating embryos for research. Using unwanted embryos should be adequate. By the way, it is nice to hear someone give thier "nonreligious" opinion. I am not a Christian either and get tired of people basing their opinions on their religion instead of using their own mind.

essarge · Aug 24, 2001

It is my understanding that the government has now put a stop to creating new stem cells and they have to use the chain that they already have. But this chain is only viable for a certain period of time and then it dies out. What then?

My question would be, why couldn't they do it like organ donation. Have a form that could be signed donating a newborn embilical cord etc etc etc.

I am all for stem cell research. In my opinion, if God didn't want it to happen, then He would not have given this knowledge to these researchers in the first place.

After all of the suffering that you see as a nurse, how could anyone possibly be against research that may alleviate this suffering?????

nurs4kids · Aug 25, 2001

I saw on the news this morning that the already harvested stem cells have been mixed with those from mice (I forgot the reason for this). Anyhow, they said they probably won't be used in trials because it could transmit some diseases that are unique to mice to humans. This is where it gets scary!

micareli · Aug 25, 2001

AmberNoelle

I initially wasn't going to respond to this post... I d/n feel it would be worth my time...... but here goes.

I am quite capable of using my own mind.... My faith is not religious.... it is not what I do ... it is who I am.

God Help your Patients if you have no sense of moral direction, ethical concerns, and compassion that comes from some sort of a higher spiritual authority....

I hope that I would never have you as my nurse..... you must be totally void of concern and compassion if you do it all on your own and with your own mind, and do not allow something higher than yourself to guide you

mike

Originally posted by AmberNoelle
I agree with you Fergus. I don't believe embryos are people either. However I don't like the idea of creating embryos for research. Using unwanted embryos should be adequate. By the way, it is nice to hear someone give thier "nonreligious" opinion. I am not a Christian either and get tired of people basing their opinions on their religion instead of using their own mind.

AmberNoelle · Aug 25, 2001

micareli

I am not going to turn this into a religious argument. It is a common misconception that athiests are not ethical or compassionate. I am sorry you feel that comment was directed at you--it was not. I was responding in general. For example--part of George Bush's decision was based on his religious view. And that view is not one that I feel should be forced upon me.

Amber