A Sad Day for US Stem Cell Research (Politics Trumps Science)
I figured it was going to happen and yet it still isn’t comprehendible. After Congress passed a bi-partisan bill allowing for federal money for stem cell research, Bush vetoed it. I tend to try to stay away from politics on this blog but sometimes science and politics collide and unfortunately, especially lately, politics trumps science. However, it is beyond me as to why, when so many people in the US (76%) back stem cell research mainly because they have loved ones who might benefit from such research.
I’ve never quite understood the mindset: stem cell research bad; death penalty good. Killing civilians for democracy building in the Middle East, good; contributing to medical breakthroughs for diseases ranging from Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and many other diseases, bad. I could go on with even more examples such as Sen James Inhofe saying that global warming is the biggest hoax ever perpetrated by scientists on the world, but I suggest you read “The Republican War on Science” by Chris Mooney for a long, long list of politics trumping science.
If you are interested in this topic, I highly recommend Chris Mooney’s blog “The Intersection“.
Art Caplan on the MSNBC site also had a scathing article. Here is part of it.
An administration that has shown itself over and over again to have trouble telling the truth is now telling Americans in wheelchairs, those with damaged hearts, babies who are diabetic and those left immobile by Parkinsonism not to worry. The president, whose grasp of science left him unable to identify creationism as a fundamentally religious idea, and his trusty sidekick Karl Rove, rarely seen in a white lab coat but who knows something about rats, having been in Washington for some time now, claim to know best which medical research is most likely to benefit diseased Americans in the future.
I will admit that I have family members who might benefit from such research. I also know that in the past, religious leaders were strongly against cutting open bodies to understand how the body works. This today has led to organ transplants and medical knowledge that saves many lives. It is a shame to see the US fall behind the rest of the developed world when it comes to research that may help many people in the future.
Technorati Tags: stem cell
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