BY MIKE CETERA
It may have gotten overlooked with the state budget battle still raging, but Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed a bill into law Tuesday that allows for public funding of stem cell research, including controversial embryonic stem cells.
The plan would award grants to scientists and allow "therapeutic cloning" for cell research. The full text of the bill can be found here.
Local bill sponsors include House Minority Leader Tom Cross, Rep. Patricia Reid Lindner and Sen. Linda Holmes.
HOUSE VOTES:
Chapa LaVia -- YES
Cross -- YES
Lindner -- YES
Pritchard -- NO
Schmitz -- NO
SENATE VOTES:
Holmes -- YES
Hultgren -- NO
Lauzen -- NO
Millner -- NO
Cross, R-Oswego, has a personal stake in the legislation. His daughter has juvenile diabetes, and proponents suggest stem cell research could lead to a cure.
The Chicago Tribune reports that although no funding is tied to the legislation, lawmakers would seek to "secure millions over the next few months."
The measure, which bans human cloning, ensures researchers could work with embryonic stem cells in Illinois, which typically come from early-stage human embryos left over from in-vitro fertilization. Groups opposed to abortion argue the research requires the destruction of human embryos and is immoral. Proponents say embryonic stem cells offer the best chance of treating or curing many debilitating diseases.
Adult stem cells are found in the individual at any time after birth. There are a number of ethical sources of stem cells that hold out realistic hope for cures and treatments of diseases. Stem cells from adult tissues, which are committed to differentiating into a limited number of cell types such as liver, brain or blood, are called adult stem cells. These too have the capability of developing into specific tissues. Adult-type stem cells can also be derived from various pregnancy-related sources such as umbilical cords, placentas and amniotic fluid. Some scientists today assert that not only are adult stem cells more readily available but they are also more effective in treating diseases.
Which of the types of stem cells are medically most successful?
Stem cells derived from placental or umbilical cord blood have proven to be remarkably effective, similar to other adult stem cells. Originally it was theorized that stem cells from these various sources would be ineffective because they are limited in their ability to become various types of cells. However, alternative sources of stem cells have been successfully differentiated into needed tissue and are already effective in healing human illnesses. More than 50 diseases have already been treated successfully in humans using adult and umbilical cord stem cells.
Adult stem cells are a solution. These cells exist in our bodies and provide a natural repair mechanism for many tissues of our bodies. There are methods available for obtaining human stem cells from adults. Furthermore, many therapies in humans have been successfully developed using adult stem cells. These include treatments for leukemia, juvenile diabetes, spinal cord injury, immune deficiency and corneal damage. ****It is important to note that no therapies in humans have ever been successfully carried out using embryonic stem cells.
Why is it we cant concentrate on the above stem cells and put our tax money into more research on treatments that have already proven to be successful?
The use of Illinois residents tax dollars to pay for the blatant destruction of human life is immoral, unethical and represents the denial that human life begins at conception. This law completely sets aside all the scientific knowledge of the beginning of human life. Instead it treats human beings as disposable. This kind of thinking flows directly from the philosophy of utilitarianism. It is in complete contradiction to not only scientific knowledge but also the beliefs of many people. Instead it is based on the religion of Humanism which denies the existence of the Creator of all that exists, including human life.
All Illinois legislators and the governor of Illinois, Blagojevich, will someday have to stand before the Creator and answer to Him why they promoted the destruction of human life in its most vulnerable stage.
As stated above in a previous post, there are many ethical alternatives to the use of human embryonic stem cells that have already proven to be helpful. These are adult stem cells, which can often be obtained from a patient's own body.
Whether or not you believe in God, you cannot deny that human life begins at conception, when a sperm and an egg join to form a completely new individual, with a unique genetic make-up. From that point forward all that is added is nurture and nutrition for nine months, while the tiny embryo quickly becomes a fully-formed baby girl or boy. No one can deny that even at conception the sex of the tiny human embryo is already determined.
There is no justification for the killing of human embryos in the "name" of scientific research. Hitler's doctors did the same thing to Jews and others, conducting "research" on their subjects. How? They simply denied they were fully human and this gave them the freedom to do what they wanted.
Monsters.
That's what Blogojevich and the Illinois legislators and all the scientists and others who promote this wanton destruction of human life are. Thank them for bringing Illinois into the "Brave New World."
Those of us who know that this is a terrible and tragic error for not only the people of Illinois, the country and the world will not give up fighting these immoral practices. I pray for the conversion of all perpetrators of this evil disregard for the dignity and sanctity of all human life.
WHICH GROUP OF HUMAN BEINGS WILL BE NEXT???
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