NY Times reporter Stolberg's "News Analysis" of political impact of stem-cell discovery omits researcher's admonition
In a November 21 "News Analysis" examining the political significance of the announcement by scientists in Wisconsin and Japan that they had successfully reprogrammed skin cells to function like embryonic stem cells without having to destroy an embryo, New York Times reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg wrote: "The findings have put people on both sides of the stem cell divide on nearly equal political footing." She wrote that President Bush "has steadfastly maintained that scientists would come up with an alternative method of developing embryonic stem cells, one that did not involve killing embryos." She added: "[N]ow that scientists in Japan and Wisconsin have apparently achieved what Mr. Bush envisioned, the White House is saying, 'I told you so.' " But at no point did Stolberg mention what Gina Kolata reported in a separate New York Times article on the same day -- that Dr. James A. Thomson, who led the research at the University of Wisconsin, said that, in Kolata's words, "it would be premature to abandon research with stem cells taken from human embryos."
Stolberg reported that "[t]he president and his aides have been quietly monitoring the Wisconsin experiments for months." Notwithstanding the reported attention the White House gave to Thomson's research, Stolberg gave no indication that she asked the administration to respond to Thomson's reported admonition that embryonic stem-cell research should continue.
Stolberg also wrote that "[t]he new findings could defuse the issue in the 2008 campaign, or at least that is the hope of candidates like [Republican presidential candidate Mitt] Romney." The fact that at least one of the scientists responsible for the breakthrough is saying that embryonic stem-cell research should continue is relevant to an assessment of whether the issue will be, or should be, "defuse[d] ... in the 2008 campaign."
She wrote that President Bush "has steadfastly maintained that scientists would come up with an alternative method of developing embryonic stem cells, one that did not involve killing embryos."
Great. So it looks like we may be able to reprogram skin cells and simply go on throwing the embryos away like they always have been.
The right wing will now sleep better at night.
" So it looks like we may be able to reprogram skin cells and simply go on throwing the embryos away like they always have been. "
That was EXACTLY my reaction, too!
the tragedy here is not that embryos are being disposed of- it is that humans are being killed. don't even use the argument that 'we already have embryos that will be disposed of anyway, so why not use them in a positive manner.' how about we encourage respect for human life and arrange that they receive proper burial instead of the garbage treatment. you can't tell me that government funded research into embryonic stem cells would not, in fact, encourage more abortions... not only would it be a convenience, but it would become a societal boon, all the more reason to kill, make more and kill again... after we've changed the name and consequences of killing. now we can refer to our sick twisted soul as benefactors of mankind.
I believe this latest development came from WiCell, a private company which employs Thomson and other U of Wisconsin researchers. WiCell is privately funded, I wonder who the funders are.
Thanks george, because of your steadfast veto of stem cell research this breakthrough is 5 years behind schedule. Now we can just throw away those stem cells because god would rather have us discard them like garbage rather than turn them into something useful.
Justice and Truth in the USA - Fact Check(TM):
Let's see - it now looks like research on stem cells can proceed without any need to destroy life. Who could possibly be against that?
I'd suggest that your post be taken as a cautionary tale against writing something before reading the earlier posts, but I suspect you are way beyond learning ANYTHING. You, sir, are by far the biggest moron ever to post on this site.
Let's make it so easy even YOU can understand, ok? Women will continue to have abortions. If doctors stop using aborted fetuses to conduct medical research, it will result in exactly ZERO fewer abortions. By the way, women will continue to destroy unfertilized eggs, too. There's another nightmare to shatter your sleep patterns.
If only we could convince you that the actual human beings you don't give a damn about are actually just matured human embryos, you might actually start doing something positive with your life. But I just don't have the energy to try.
Your logic is simplistic and flawed.
Stop abortions and stop fetal stem cell research? Researchers will get their raw material from other sources.
Do away with Roe v Wade and stop abortions? Affluent American women will have the procedure done in other countries. Poor American women will have more poor children that prolifers could care less about... or go to back alley abortionists. Some of them will die. Some of them will never be able to have children.
Love the fetus. Hate the human being.
Hello JJ...
I hereby 2nd your post. With that post you saved me the effort.
Speaking of earlier posts, here is my reply to your reply to my Americas Team speculation for the New England Patriots. I thought they might be deserving of that label today.
NFL Network had an 'Answer The Question Show' that aired today putting my speculations to rest. The Dallas Cowboys have always been, and are still Americas Team.
I already knew that, but didn't want to say so without being backed up by credible sources who present compelling facts together with up to date polling results.
The facts named the Cowboys. The polls were very close with New England a close second and Green Bay coming in third. All other teams were not even that close to mention.
Green Bay plays at Dallas on Thursday. Pivital game for both teams. Bret Farve has never won VS. the Cowboys. I hope that trend stays intact.
Happy Thanksgiving to MM and ALL Posters.
-Sam I Am-
Update of Americas Team Polling: - As reported by NFL Network and NFL Films:
1st Place - Dallas Cowboys
2nd - Green Bay Packers
3rd - New England Patriots
4th - Pittsburg Steelers
With the Packers and Patriots a very close 2nd and 3rd in the Polls. It was reported that the update was due to unhappy Steeler fans who claimed they were being unfairly left out.
Well, considering that the Dallas Cowboys were dubbed "America's Team" more than thirty years ago, and that the tag line has been used in it's marketing and by ESPN and the networks for all that time, there's no surprise that most people would identify the Cowboys as "America's Team." To me, the more amazing thing is that the Patriots are even on this list- for most of my life, the Pats were an NFL afterthought, if not an outright punchline.
Frankly, I couldn't care less if the Patriots are "America's Team." In fact, as a Red Sox/Patriots Fan From Birth, I really resent the bandwagon-climbers. I'm enjoying the fact that more and more sports fans are coming to loathe both teams. It sure beats the old days, when people would see me in by Sox cap and Patriots jacket and give me a sad, snarky look, like "oh you poor loser, haha, fan of the New England Choke Artists."
Winning is better, and I would rather see my teams win games than polls any day.
Frankly, I couldn't care less if the Patriots are "America's Team." -JJ-
Well JJ, I hope for your sake they never get cursed with having that label because that's what it is, a curse. Every team is up for the chance to kick hell out of Americas Team Ass. Even more hatred comes from the other teams fans.
Instead of admiration or any small bit of respect, fans of other teams just come with the hatred. I'm always congratulating Patriot, Packer, Steeler and even Charger fans for accomplishments. I like the Saints and the Titans a lot too. Got mixed emotions about the Packer/Cowboy game because I'm a Bret fan. Glad he came back for more.
NFL films stuck us with that label and they together with media outlets have promoted it more than the Cowboys ever have. Why?
Because the Cowboys know that opposing teams don't even require a pep talk from their coach. Those players are ready to kick Americas Team Buttox and then some.
Good luck to your Pats JJ.
How do you define "life"? A fertilzed egg is just a single cell that is living. And so is a single skin cell living. This new research destroys a living cell to just exactly the same extent that embryonic stem cell research destroys a living cell.
Life is about death. If you are a living creature you spread death all around you every instant of your life. Your cells live and die and are replaced. You destroy any living cells upon which you tread or sit or touch.
If you applaud the deaths of our soldiers in Iraq because it's "for the greater good of America" then you should have NO PROBLEM with the "death" of an embryo for the greater good of our citizens who have conditions for which this research holds a hope of relief or cure.
On the other hand, if you are anti-abortion and anti-embryonic stem cell research...then I hope to God you are consistent enough to ALSO oppose the death penalty and the needless deaths of a needless war.
Justice and Truth in Right Wing Wacky World - Fact Check:
Obtaining stem cells from a 100-cell blastocyst for the purpose of medical research is an immoral destruction of life.
Allowing leftover blastocysts to deteriorate and subsequently throwing them in the trash is a moral destruction of life.
</sarc>
What do you get when you cross viagra with a stem cell?
The 1st recorded case of a republcan sex scandal at the micro level.
Based on an earlier post (by some days) I think you misspelled the GOP party name, it should be Republan.
Repuban?
Happy "T" day all.
It does, huh?
These are preliminary findings. If they're proven to have the potential that embryonic stems cells have, great. I'll agree with you.
Until then, we've wasted a lot of time and money because of the ban on using new lines of stem cells.
And I'm sure, that all of those against embryonic stem cell research are going to start having the embryos, currently on ice, implanted in their wives and daughters rather than throw them away.
And if it's proven, that this new technology will replace embryonic research, I'll expect all of those who've opposed stem cell research to cough up the money to keep the freezers going to protect the potential "Snowflake Children".
I know we can count on you Roy or Billiybob to donate.
Just because all sorts of media outlets say this a big breakthrough does not mean it will end up actually being a breakthrough. Anyone remember cold fusion? Note that one of the researchers says "in Kolata's words, "it would be premature to abandon research with stem cells taken from human embryos." This "breakthrough" is one little tangent of stem cell research. The truly important research deals with what can be done with stem cells, researchers have known for quite awhile how to get stem cells. This is at best an incremental advancement.
I was reading that several years ago Thomson and WiCell came up with two new lines of stem cells from an "animal-free culture" ... but one of the lines had an abnormal chromosome at 4 months and the second developed an "abnormality" at 7 months.
Perhaps Bush would like to use these stem cells, then maybe he could grow a brain in his ass to replace the defective one that's already there.
This is one of the more interesting discussions lately on MMFA. I've always thought it ironic that the religious right heavily relies on cellular biology to make moral arguments against stem cell research and abortion. Yet, when it comes to defining life and what it means to be human, they completely abandon science in favor of what amounts to dogmatic and ultimately irrational religious beliefs. Its really irrational to use science to justify one thing and then abandon science for religion in order to justify another. Why can’t the religious right apply scientific principles to the understanding of the human condition and acknowledge the central importance of a functional brain in defining personhood? We already do this in defining brain death as the end of life. It seems logical to use a similar criteria to define the beginning.
I've concluded that the religionists do not really believe the basic tenets of their own religion. They don't really believe in God because they like playing God. They just invent a God after their own image; the real God, they never listen to.
As was said earlier, life involves death and death is what they fear. Their irrational fixation upon embryos and fetuses, and prolonging life processes in brain dead people, show that they want to try to exert some kind of control over life & death that in reality is impossible. Life and death continue whether they like it or not.
That these same people don't mind throwing away lives in wars and other killing shows that they really don't care about individual life after all.
"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I noticed it always coincides with their own desires" - Susan B Anthony.
Didn't I read somewhere that this "new" development involves altering the DNA, and the consequence lies in the fact that Parkinson's, diabetes and cancer research - the biggest proponents of stem cell research - aren't compatible with Bush's "I told you so" moment. Why have I only seen that particular point in one news article? Did I read it wrong?
BTW, Stollberg is yet another shameless WH stenographer. I wrote to her once asking why her "research" into a Bush-apologist piece didn't go farther than one-dimensional WH talking points. She actuallly emailed me back with a snipey one-line answer claiming it was really hard to gain access to the Bush Administration to properly report the news. I was left with the impression that she'd much rather keep her access than report the truth. ----Her journalism professors must be so proud.
Funny...scientists have already found a cell that behaves like embryonic stem cells. It's called the adult stem cell. And the only difference is that adult stem cells actually are being used in treating ALS, autism, cerebral palsy, diabetes, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, and stroke. Embryonic stem cells can do nothing that adult stem cells can't.
Oh...and you can also get embryonic stem cells from umbilical blood.
Our President is in full speed Legacy Enhancement Mode...
He's saying "I Told You So" about Iraq War violence reportedly being down and now this premature posture on the stem cell issue. I guess "The Decider" is ignoring this statement... Kolata's words, "it would be premature to abandon research with stem cells taken from human embryos."
I further can see that if the violence is in fact down, where is the projected and promised result of reconciliations by the Iraqi government. I said years ago all these lives are lost in vain. A military success doesn't translate into "Mission Accomplished" when baby-sitting a Civil War. The participants are not interested in sharing with one another.
The Bush legacy of forcing his will on this country and foreign countries has failed. A huge number of Texans don't even want his Presidential Library in Texas where he plans to have it.
Republicans are 100% for right to life, with the exception in these situations...
1. The embryo has been born, it's then OK for it to die. Poor kids bill Vetoed by GWB!
2. Young Americans who are just at the beginning of their life. It's OK for them to die in the biggest foreign policy blunder of this countries history. Bush Legacy!
3. OK for a female with an unplanned pregnancy to die having an illegal abortion.
4. OK for the wrongly accused to die by execution. Innocent victims have been killed.
5. OK to die by execution in this country. Bush Legacy in Texas!
If you have more of these situations please be my guest. As Bush has said many times, "Hey, this is hard work!" He also said history will look back favorably upon his legacy as president of our country.
I agree that it will be "Hard Work" to make a sorry Bush legacy look good.