by
~ Jim O'Hara ~
Submitted to Star Banner, August 21, 2001
Editor,
When a scientist successfully joins an egg from a woman with sperm from a man, an embryo is formed in a test tube.
Bush claims the embryo in the test tube is a human being and to destroy it is murder.
Bush's view of the embryo conflicts with all scientific knowledge. It would take a miracle for an embryo in a test tube on its own to be a human being. Miracles is the stuff of religious and of Bush's religious advisers. Bush's view that the test tube embryo is a human being is a religious belief. He bypassed science and made a leap of faith to reach his conclusion. Americans should not be asked to honor laws based on Bush's religious belief in miracles.
In issuing his decision on stem cell research, Bush committee himself to oppose destruction of embryos in or out of a human body. His decision was calculated to keep the support of the zealous anti-abortionists. He looks forward to satisfying the anti-abortionists by approving legislation outlawing induced abortions, birth control pills, and any other method of destroying an embryo of preventing it from growing in a woman. Thanks to Senator Jefford, many members of the US Senate do not share Bush's views on this issue and can thwart his actions.
Nicholas Wade reports, "For a decade researchers in Britain have been allowed to create human embryos for research purposes.." He adds, "Scientists in Britain have been leaders in developing techniques for both in vitro fertilization and the generation of embryonic stem cells." As different from the USA, Britain historically has rejected religious influences from foreign lands.
James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin adapted techniques from Britain to
generate the first human embryonic stem cells in the United States in 1998. If the research
is stifled by Bush's team, hopefully, Thomson and other scientists will let the American
people know what needs to be done to enable researchers to test the affects of the stem cells.
Stem cell research must go on.
James O'Hara