Thursday, July 28, 2005

Any Port in a Storm!

A Fool will welcome an delays of deliberate death. ArriveNet Press Releases (Politics) indicates one such delay has been given. The Senate has refused to take up H.R. 810 before their recess. This bill, which would increase Federal funding for ESCR along with "ethical and legal guidelines", had already passed the House in May. The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR) cries me a river with this press release:
Today, the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR), comprised of over 95 nationally-recognized patient groups, scientific societies and academic research institutions, expressed its disappointment that legislation to expand federal support for embryonic stem cell research was not brought to a vote in the Senate prior to Congressional recess, despite promises from Senate leadership to do so.
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The legislation, known in the House of Representatives as H.R. 810, passed 238-194 in the House on May 24. The bill would allow federally supported scientists to study additional stem cell lines, expand research among America's top academic researchers and accelerate the cure and treatment of diseases that affect over 100 million Americans. H.R. 810 imposes ethical and legal guidelines on the research even as it expands federally funded research opportunities of additional stem cell lines from voluntarily-donated in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryos that will otherwise be discarded. This morning, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) objected to a motion that H.R. 810 be brought to the floor.

CAMR President Daniel Perry said "We are disappointed that the Senate is leaving for its August recess without addressing this vital issue. A delay in Senate passage of H.R. 810 is a delay in hope for millions of Americans. A majority of the American people support stem cell research, a majority of the House supports stem cell research, we are confident a majority of the Senate support stem cell research, and are dismayed they have not yet gotten an opportunity to express that support."
Yawn. The release drones on in the same monotonous fashion: People want it, yada-yada-yada, quote from injured party, yada-yada-yada.

Why can't these agencies get behind ASCR? That's where the private money is. Instead of spinning the same misleading yarn and manipulating people in need of genuine medical hope, organizations like CAMR could push for Federal funds for ASCR. It will yield more promising results in less time, and no one will have blood on their hands. Why this entrenched need to compound evil and prolong tragedy? It's already wrong that embryos are frozen in IVF clinics. Thawing them out to make them dying guinea pigs does not make what happened to them right.

Honesty will go further than the continued half-lies meant to bolster this pseudo-scientific and Quixotic quest for medicine's Holy Grail. People need real treatments as soon as possible! Let's quit fooling around and make sure they get them. Let's throw society's resources behind the proven winner: ASCR!