Comments on: What Lifting The Federal Ban on Stem Cell Research Means: Our Xconomists Offer Some Thoughts

By: Pro stem cell research

Pro stem cell research — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:10:41 +0000

I agree with b: “The state government of California already funds ESC research, and its researchers are at the “forefront globally”. So where’s the crisis? How does that match up with “By not funding and doing embryonic stem cell research in this country…”?

The U.S is one of the leaders in this field. Please don’t talk without real knowledge of the matter.

I also agree with kim: “The restrictions cut down on communication and cooperation, and made things very frustrating for scientists because you can’t silo out these two areas very easily”.

To work effectively in this area, you need some funding, $$$$$$$$ :)

By: Kim

Kim — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:12:45 +0000

I disagree, there was quite the impediment to US researchers doing stem cell research.

Some scientists had to have two separate labs, or sets of equipment, one for the federally funded research and one for the one that wasn’t. The restrictions cut down on communication and cooperation, and made things very frustrating for scientists because you can’t silo out these two areas very easily.

By: b

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:51:07 +0000

What a bunch of misinformation is presented here. There was never any impediment to US researchers doing stem cell research. The only restriction was that the federal government was not going to fund reseachers using new embryonic stem cells.

Drew Senyei is so arrogant. “We live in a pluralistic society and we have to honor all reasonable viewpoints while safe-guarding our humanity.”

Oh really Drew, so what about those people who have a different viewpoint than you? How does this honor those who disagree with you? How is not funding X a “manifestation of the state trying to control scientific discovery”? And Drew, how exactly does funding science largely through the apparatus of the state qualify as separating science and the state? What you are actually advocating is *more* state involvement with science, but are obvioulsy so unchallenged in your insular viewpoint that you don’t even see the contradiction in your thinking. Just as with climate change research, NASA, government funding of universities, etc. the state’s tentacles are all over science research in this country, and pretending that adding federal government funding to ESC research is *less* state control is idiotic.

The quote from Duane Roth belies the wailing about how the US has fallen behind other countries in this area. The state government of California already funds ESC research, and its researchers are at the “forefront globally”. So where’s the crisis? How does that match up with “By not funding and doing embryonic stem cell research in this country…”?

Don’t get me wrong, I am a biochemist and believe in stem cell research, but the propaganda and arrogance exhibited here infuriates me.