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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>From: "Amara Graps" <BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>> Brett Paatsch:<BR>>>Do you know where to
find sources for the fact that something<BR>>>like 1 out of 4 or 1 out of
5 fertilized eggs don't go on to <BR>>>become babies? I can
give you some sources if you don't, but I'd<BR>>>prefer that you look for
yourself first. These sort of facts can help<BR>>>put the issues into
biological perspective. These sort of facts can<BR>>>be shown to people as
facts rather than as mere opinions. <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Please send it to
the Italian transhumanists<BR>> (</FONT><A
href="http://www.transumanisti.it/"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>http://www.transumanisti.it/</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>,
</FONT><A href="mailto:riccardo_campa@yahoo.com"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>riccardo_campa@yahoo.com</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>)<BR>> as
well, so that they can distribute it. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>My apologies Amara for not getting back to this
sooner. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>A book entitled Stem Cells : Controversy at the
frontier of science</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>was first published in Australia in April
2005. I know the author</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>slightly and reviewed one of the chapters for her.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Although the author gives the clear impression that
there is rock</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>solid evidence for her assertion that it is a "fact
that four out of five</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>naturally conceived embryos are defective and flush
away with a</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>woman's menstrual period" and on my
first reading of her cited</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>sources I thought she was right, on a closer
second reading I am </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>concerned that her enthusiasm may have caused her
to stretch</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>or overstate what the sources actually amount too.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Here are the two sources she cites, I'd be
interested to see</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>what percentage people thinks can be fairly claimed
on the</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>basis of these. The author claims 80
per cent. Thats the 1 in 5.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>For a recent discussion see John M. Opitz,
Transcripts for</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>President's Council on Bioethics, 16 January 2003,
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.bioethics.gov/transcripts/jan03/session1.html"><FONT
face=Arial
size=2>www.bioethics.gov/transcripts/jan03/session1.html</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>See also Robert Edwards The bumpy road to
human in vitro </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>fertilization. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Nature Medicine October 2001 Vol 7 No 10. p
1091 - 1094</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><A
href="http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nm/journal/v7/n10/full/nm1001-1091.html"><FONT
size=2>http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nm/journal/v7/n10/full/nm1001-1091.html</FONT></A><FONT
size=2> </FONT></FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>> The Referendum<BR>> for removing the most
restrictive portions of the Italian<BR>> ART law is next month, and the
positions/debates are in<BR>> all of the Italian newspapers now.<BR>>
<BR>> ( Italian ART Law<BR>> </FONT><A
href="http://lists.extropy.org/pipermail/extropy-chat/2004-April/005345.html"><FONT
face=Arial
size=2>http://lists.extropy.org/pipermail/extropy-chat/2004-April/005345.html</FONT></A><FONT
face=Arial size=2> )<BR>> <BR>> If the laws are not overturned, the blocks
are too large<BR>> against my trying to build my life in this country, and I
must<BR>> give up. (*)<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>It know that it is not your imagination, Italy
IS especially tough with respect</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>to its </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>ART
laws. If I was a woman seeking to make use of ART and
</FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>I could</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>leave </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>Italy I would.
</FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> <BR>> Amara<BR>> <BR>> (*) The
futility of trying to live in this country has become <BR>> too discouraging
and I might give up anyway. My fiftieth-something <BR>> visit to the
Polizia to try to get my permit-of-stay, yielded, as<BR>> usual,
nothing. To the Italian government, I'm 'just off the boat'.<BR>>
Certainly some better nights of sleep will help me make a <BR>> rational
decision, but if you have suggestions, ideas, offers, <BR>> I'm all ears. [To
your question : why doesn't my work help me<BR>> with this political stuff,
the answer is: they cannot. I'm the<BR>> first extracommunitari scientist my
department has who has <BR>> stayed longer than one year, and they have no
experience. Not <BR>> even the Italian Space Agency has anyone who can
help. It is <BR>> rare for a scientist to immigrate _into_
Italy, you see.]<BR></DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Unfortunately I don't know enough about Italy to be
likely to be</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>of much </FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2>assistance. I am willing to help you if I can. Feel free
to</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>mail me off list if you want. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regards,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Brett Paatsch</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>