Is it right for the courts to block most federal funding for stem cell research?

I think people are kind of primitive to pass up something like stem cell research based on their own selfish beliefs…

I think they’re grandstanding as usual. They need something for the upcoming election, so lets make a huge deal about this. We can’t scare people into voting for us, so lets remind them that there’s poor innocent babies at stake here. They refuse to consider the benefits of curing actual living people. It is under review. I assume his word isnt the final word on this matter?

They probably DONT want people to live longer, ever think of that corner? I mean think about it for a second…the longer people live the more the goverment has to pay them on retirement and then we will be overpopulated….im not saying im against stem cell research im all for it, it could save so many lives, but think about the goverments point of view, whats important and benificial to THEM.

The Obama administration is appealing the decision. I think the reasoning will be that embryos and stem cells have different definitions, so the 1996 D!ckey-WIcker amendment (which the judge cited as the reason for his ruling) would not apply. That amendment bans the creation of human embryos for research if those embryos are discarded or destroyed.

Hopefully the Obama plan to expand hESC research gets the legal requirements it needs. As you say, the Religious Right is simply using its political and legal resources to make an issue out of this for the election.

Religious leaders have often opposed progress throughout history. Look at the dark ages when the church has was at the height of its political power; not only did society stagnate but much of the culture and knowledge of Classical Greece and Rome was forgotten. Galileo was imprisoned for observing that the earth revolved around the sun rather than the universe revolving around the earth. Giordono Bruno was burned at the stake for challenging the church’s dogma on numerous issues (Including the earth centered view of the universe). Religious leaders opposed anesthetic because they saw pain as the wages of sin and any prevention of it as going against the will of God. They also opposed the teaching of evolution even though it is the best scientific explanation of our origins because it goes against a literal interpretation of the book of Genesis.

Religious conservatives defended slavery, opposed women’s sufferage, and even today many oppose birth control even in starving 3rd world countries.

Religious opposition to stem-cell research is just the latest in a long line of religion opposing progress.

I kind of agree with cupkate460. The government basically agrees with what works best for them, not so much as us. Personally i’m on the fence about the stem cell research. Yes it does have many benefits like the cure for huntingsons disease and possibly cancer and it can even produce someone a limb ( they can grow you back an ear and such). But theres also the fact that in order for this to happen they basically kill a fetus to get what they need to accomplish all these things. Its a matter of opinion and religious beliefs i guess.

What kind of stem cell research do you mean? Have they blocked funding for ALL stem cell research or just embryonic? What about adult stem cells, cord stem cells, and stem cell lines? If they have blocked funding for those, that is completely stupid. If its just embryonic, there is some moral reasoning behind that so I dont think its as bad, especially coupled with the current low success rate.

If I could “like” this answer multiple times, I would.

Personally, I’m not opposed to stem cell research. What I’m opposed to is government funding for all kinds of stuff. When you leave things of interest like this to the private sector, not only are people safer and more efficient, but in the long run, you don’t have government programs dying because it actually costs the taxpayers more money than the government is charging for treatment or assistance.

I think what we really need to do is get rid of a lot of regulations out there. The current medical industry is so ingrained in our lives and government that anything short of the brand names doesn’t get through as medicine that doctors can prescribe. In the area of stem cell research, there are a couple companies that harvest a species of algea which is found to grow in a single lake here in the US. It is shown to increase an adult’s stem cell count by as much as 25%. Might not sound like much, but the health, anti-aging, and healing benefits have been documented, including on the nerve system. Yet it can not be sold as a medicine, due to current regulations. The same goes for essential oils(medical grade pure stuff, not that crap you find on eBay), herbal remedies, ect. Just across the ocean in Germany, they have a government organization that verifies various herbs and oils for their acclaimed purposes, and ensures that the companies producing these are producing them of sufficient quality to be effective. Over here, if you get into alternative medicine, you’re a nut, a geezer, other things, and often berated by your doctor, despite the fact you can see its benefit in your own life.

Back on stem cell research though, there are sources for viable stem cells without producing fetuses. Even adult stem cells have the power to heal brain damage, so long as their are sufficient amounts. The only problem is that even in olden days, the average human diet doesn’t provide for this.

Ultimately, though, yes, I think it’s right for courts to block federal funding. The U.S. government is there to provide for basic infrastructure, execute the laws that we’re all supposed to agree upon(but even our own congressmen don’t pay attention to their constituents), and to provide for the domestic defense, both locally and abroad. It’s not there to hand out jobs, it’s not a medical university, and it’s not supposed to police our daily lives. Stop acting like it should be any of these things.