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Kerry
Sacrifices Science For Ideology And Votes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 5, 2004
John
Kerry is playing on the hopes and fears of millions of
American sufferers and their families who could
benefit from regenerative medicine for political
purposes when he accuses President Bush of sacrificing
“science for extreme right-wing ideology."
Kerry is playing politics with science and is
guilty of the political tactic of accusing the
president of the very thing he is guilty of.
In
a radio address this summer Kerry said, that "at
this very moment, some of the most pioneering
cures
and treatments are right at our fingertips, but
because of the stem-cell ban, they remain beyond our
reach." Kerry
is advocating for more federal funding for embryonic
stem cell research, and his statements above are
patently false.
1.
Embryonic Stem Cell Research Has Provided No Human
Treatments Or Cures.
Neither Kerry nor any of the scientists
advocating this kind of research can point to one cure
from that small portion of stem cell research that he
is advocating for, embryonic stem cell research.
There are no human trials and results
have been so devastating in animal trials that some
scientists have called for an end to embryonic stem
cell research.
2.
Non-Embryonic Stem Cell Research Has And Is Producing
Human Treatments and Cures.
The only stem cell research that is producing
any cures is stem cell research using other stem
cells, known as adult stem cells which come from a
person’s own body or from umbilical cord blood,
placental and other tissues.
These treatments do not require the destruction
of the lives of humans in the embryonic stage.
There are over 80 treatments right now produced
by this research including treatments for heart
damage, multiple sclerosis, corneal injury, spinal
injury, Parkinson's and restoration in some muscle and
bladder control in paralyzed human patients.
Mice with juvenile diabetes have been cured
using human spleen cells.
Liver tissue has been regenerated by
bone-marrow stem cells.
Only John Kerry’s ideology about embryonic
stem cells and his lust for the presidency can cause
him to keep advocating for this failed research and
keep raising false hopes in millions of American
sufferers.
3.
There Is No Broad “Stem Cell Ban.”
Kerry knows that there is no stem cell ban like he
wants us to believe.
Last year the Bush Administration provided over
$200 million for stem cell research, of which about
$190 million was allotted for research on adult stem
cells, which is the only stem cell research that has
yielded clinical benefits for humans to date, and
nearly $25 million for research on embryonic stem cell
lines that existed prior to August 9, 2001.
The only ban is for federal funding of
embryonic stem cell lines created after August 2001.
4.
Kerry Is Guilty Of His Extremist Charge.
Kerry’s position reflects his own extremist
charge. Kerry
supported Senate Bill 303, `Human Cloning Ban and
Stem Cell Research Protection Act of 2003'.
This legislation would allow scientists to
create a supply of human embryos to be destroyed to
provide scientists with embryonic stem cells.
Embryonic stem cells can only be obtained by
killing human embryos.
A poll by International Communications Research
asked “should scientists be allowed to use human
cloning to create a supply of human embryos to be
destroyed in medical research?
13.3% said Yes:
79.8% said no.
Wilson Research Strategies, Inc. asked
respondents “which of the following comes closest to
your view?” in regards to human cloning and
embryonic stem cell research. 24% said cloning to
create human embryos for stem cell research which
would kill them should be allowed and only cloning for
reproduction should be banned.
69% said all human cloning should be banned.
74
percent of Americans said that they support using tax
dollars to pay for the kind of stem cell research that
does not require the killing of human embryos, while
only 20 percent opposed.
This is why Kerry’s aides deny that Kerry
supports the creation and destruction of embryos.
It is also why Kerry does not distinguish
between embryonic and other stem cell research.
Kerry-Edwards
say that opposition to ESCR is an article of faith
that should not be imposed on the nation.
The above polling results show that this is a
widely held American “article of faith.” Americans
have moral problems with embryonic stem cell research
because it creates human beings with the intention of
exploiting them for their body parts-their stem cells.
This research would loudly proclaim that
humanness is not enough to protect human life.
There can be and will be classes of human
beings that can be exploited-even intentionally
created and harvested- for the benefit of others.
Human beings are not means to an end no matter
how small. Americans
understand that humanity and rights do not come from
size, development or the intentions others have for
us. This
is the “article of faith” that the American people
that Kerry-Edwards and embryonic stem cell supporters
are up against.
5. Opponents of Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Support Almost All Stem Cell Research.
Many embryonic stem cell research supporters
evade the moral issues by making the cheap ad-hominen
charge that opponents are anti-research.
Opponents are not anti-research.
They oppose unethical research and strongly
support almost all stem cell research.
They object to what ESCR does to embryonic
human beings and how it will inevitably target others.
Once we cave in to the idea that medical
results justify exploitive human research then we all
become potential targets in the name of research and
progress.
Embryonic stem cell research is immoral and it is
ineffective. Shame
on John Kerry for playing on the hopes and fears of
millions of sufferers, sacrificing science for
ideology and misleading the public about the research
he supports for political gain.
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