This article from the Texas A&M newspaper describes the medical research with “knockout” mice, or mice that have a specific gene turned off. The University’s Texas Institute of Genomic Medicine , part of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences specializes in developing knockout mice strains using embryonic stem cells from mice embryos, which … Continue reading
Without a conscience, what is a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist except a technician willing to follow the whims of law? (Again, this is not sound-bite material!) I received an e-mail from the American Defense Fund concerning the lawsuit against the State of Arizona by Planned Parenthood over a law to protect those of us in … Continue reading
Oddly, there is very little notice of the confirmation that Advance Cell Technology has created cloned human embryos. Current bioethics and science reporting evidently takes the creation and destruction of human embryos for granted. In fact, the embryonic humans were created with the intention of destroying them. No one – or almost no one – … Continue reading
The Los Angeles Times (a one time free registration may be required) finally notices that couples who initiate in vitro fertilization are “finding themselves ensnared in a debate about when life begins.” The proposed Colorado amendment states, “The term ‘person’ or ‘persons’ shall include any human from the time of fertilization.” If it is passed, … Continue reading
>My own first child is a little older than Louise Brown, the first child born from in vitro fertilization (IVF). This incidental pioneer celebrates her 30th birthday this month, calling for reviews and editorials on what her birth has meant to culture and to individuals, such as this one from the UK’s Telegraph. It’s good … Continue reading
Maybe I should have called this column “I smell a rat.” All this fuss and bother that Sam Berger is making in today’s blog.bioethics.net “Guest Column” over the lack of federal funding of embryonic stem cells had me following links and searching Google half the night in an effort to decide whether or not Berger’s … Continue reading
I can’t find any mention of actual funds allocated for the destruction of embryos in HB 810. However, the bill says that the Secretary of Health “shall conduct and support,” and “Human embryonic stem cells shall be eligible for use in any research” that meet the criteria of prior informed consent, being “in excess,” and … Continue reading
Next will come the call for the purposeful creation of funding for disease-specific embryos. These embryonic humans are not dead. They were chosen and frozen because they looked promising for future attempts to fill the empty arms of their mothers and fathers. SB 810 authorizes the use of tax money to pay to thaw, nurture, … Continue reading
Wesley Smith has had a bit of time to consider and reconsider the way he was called out and singled out at lunch by Alta Chara on Friday, July 14th at the Bioethics and Politics Summer Conference of the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities. I am unabashedly human-centric and a human species-ist. Any other … Continue reading
Besides abortion, destructive embryo research, and complete sexual freedom for teens, I wonder how many other moral issues are judged, “Regardless of its ethical correctness . . .”? As it is, I wouldn’t want someone that goes around acting “regardless of ethical correctness” for my doctor or even an employee. The ethical correctness is the … Continue reading