[extropy-chat] Christopher Reeve Foundation: Request

[Brett Paatsch]

From: <natashavita at earthlink.net>


> Friends -
>
> A bi-partisan group of representatives has authored a letter
> to President Bush pressing him to expand the Federal Policy
> on Embryonic Stem Cell Research.
>
> You can sign the bi-partisan letter at this link:
>
> http://www.capwiz.com/reeve/mail/compose/
> http://www.capwiz.com/reeve/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=5369466

Although I think Christopher Reeve is one of the best, most
effective, advocates for embryonic stem cell research around,
and I think it's great that ExI is getting into this issue, I am not
optimistic that President Bush will be swayed away from his
embryonic stem cell policy. He's relying on the religious right as
a strategic demographic. Perhaps a later Republican President
(if the Republican's can find a way to separate the abortion
debate from the stem cell debate along the lines of an Orin Hatch)
but this won't happen not under President George W Bush.

STEM CELL POLITICS: Scientist kicked off council
http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-hssci193714043mar19,0,6010801.story?co
ll=ny-health-headlines

"White House officials said (Elizabeth) Blackburn's two-year
term on the council expired in January and that the biologist's
contribution would no longer be relevant, because the panel
was moving away from discussing embryonic stem cells."
----

I haven't got the source handy but I'm pretty sure Bush has
already given commitments to the religion right not to soften
on embryonic stem cells.

The Bush govt has led the push to get therapeutic cloning
banned in the UN. (This could not work as a legal move
- General Assembly resolutions would not be binding - nothing
could stop China - a permanent security council member
from pursuing embryonic stem cell research and therapeutic
cloning legally should they choose to in their national interest
- but a General Assembly resolution would have a lot of
political clout if it got up).

I am not voting in the US elections (obviously - I'm not a
US citizen), and I would not be particularly keen on voting
for Kerry if I was, but a vote for Bush is a vote for going
slower on embryonic stem cell research. There should be
absolutely no illusions about that.

Regards,
Brett Paatsch