280
BY BILL SCHMALFELDT
Now we’re back at Square “0”. We are once again second class citizens. Our rights are OFFICIALLY secondary to the rights of frozen blastocysts that will, inevitably, be thawed, scraped and burned as medical waste when Mommy and Daddy get the baby they want from in vitro fertilization. (And since IVF is the REASON these blastocysts are created and then destroyed, where is the right wing outrage over IVF? Why is it reserved only for the victims of Parkinson’s and paralysis and diabetes and heart disease who could BENEFIT from these cells BEFORE they are destroyed—AS THEY WILL BE ANYWAY!) Adoption agencies are actively seeking parents for children who need them. There is no shortage of adoptable kids. That was just an emotional ploy this conservative group used to get their case in front of this Reagan-appointed conservative judge. The opponents to ESCR say, “Hey! We don’t need it! Look at all the good things being done with ADULT stem cells.” I reply thusly: 1. Adult stem cells have to be put through a long and expensive process in order to be rendered pluripotent—able to become any kind of human cell. 2. Embryonic stem cells already ARE pluripotent. No added expense required. 3. And how do you KNOW adult stem cells are better than ESC’s? There hasn’t BEEN any serious RESEARCH with ESCs because of the LACK OF FEDERAL FUNDING!!! It’s like you’re opposing spending money to develop the automobile because “the horse works just fine.” Only your reasoning isn’t quite that advanced—or intelligent. We had to wait 8 years for a progressive administration that believed in science over superstition. Now, we will have to wait again until some REASONABLE judge rules on the issue and federal funding for ESCR is resumed. Given the 8-year delay, compounded by this new delay, it’s probably wishful thinking to believe it could still happen in my lifetime. (The day I was diagnosed in 2000, I was told a cure was 10-years away... tops!) But I can still hope, if not for myself, then