Smoke and Mirrors on Stem Cell Research in South Dakota
The Argus Leader ran a story yesterday telling us that “Sanford eyes stem cell study.” They didn’t tell us what kind of stem cell studies; important since there are basically two or three kinds (embryonic, umbilical cord, and adult), and while one is benign, the other has ominous moral and ethical implications. And the embryonic stem cell research is illegal in South Dakota.
The article tells us
A new donation from philanthropist T. Denny Sanford will give Sanford Health greater access to embryonic stem cell research, a process that the system’s chief executive, Kelby Krabbenhoft, has expressed an interest in pursuing.
T. Denny Sanford says he will help the San Diego Consortium for Regenerative Medicine come up with matching funds for a planned $115 million stem cell research center in La Jolla, Calif. Sanford hasn’t said how much he plans to give. The donation has not been formally announced. But the San Diego Union-Tribune reported this month that an “out-of-state philanthropist,” whom the consortium has declined to identify, has pledged $30 million, with $10 million paid up-front and the remainder in $2 million annual installments.
The scientific community sees a lot of medical potential from stem cells. These amazing cells, unlike most of the cells in our bodies, can “differentiate,” which means they can produce all kinds of other types of cells.
This would be a very useful process to control, since it could regenerate damaged tissue, allowing the blind to see and the lame to walk.
Sanford, the chairman of Sioux Falls-based holding company United National Corp., said he sees potential in those studies.
“It’s so exciting what they are already doing with stem cells,” Sanford said last week.
I think what he’s excited about seeing that’s already being done with stems cells involves adult stem cells.
Embryonic stem cell research is supposedly long on “potential;” meanwhile, adult stem cell therapies are ALREADY helping people.
There are already dozens of cures and therapies from adult stem cell research, including treatments for meningitis-related limb damage, retina regeneration, heart tissue regeneration, angina, diabetes, bone cancer, nerve regeneration, liver cancer, and leukemia.
Embryonic stem cell research, which involves the destruction of human embryos, has yet to produce a SINGLE success.
As I was reading this article, though I’m somewhat used to it by now from the “mainstream” press, I was wondering, “Newspapers are supposed to inform people. Why isn’t the Argus Leader informing people that adult stem cell is ALREADY helping people?” I got my answer about half-way through the article with what I suspect is a heading:
Ban might limit ability to attract leading scientists to state
Ah, there’s the pitch from the “objective” people at the Argus Leader.
Hey, South Dakota! These ignorant Bible-thumping rubes are going to scare off all the smart people! You know, the ones with all the MONEY!”
So now the ultimate purpose of the article starts to come together. Though there’s no direct connection between this Sanford money and the embryonic stem cell research and South Dakota, maybe with Sanford himself as the “bridge” we can create an article to leverage support for getting rid of this “primitive, ignorant” ban on embryonic stem cell research here in South Dakota.
The elitists at the Argus Leader want to stir the ignorant masses to cry out to their legislators to get rid of this “superstition-based” law so that the light of human ingenuity can shine across our state and land…at the cost of innocent human life created in the image of God.
There are a lot of smart people at the Argus Leader; they couldn’t possibly be ignorant of the dozens of successes of adult stem cell research.
That’s how they sell an idea that, otherwise, good people might realize is a bad thing. They hype the “potential” of embryonic stem cell research (which destroys human life), while marginalizing adult stem cell research (which ALREADY has successes under it’s belt) with a couple of passing mentions of the technique and none of it’s proven results.
How unfortunate that when you read your local newspaper, where you ostensibly should be able to get clear, unbiased information, you have to always be looking for the angle, you have to always be mindful of what ulterior motives they have to plant ideas in the minds of the unsuspecting public.
While there were a couple of fleeting mentions of adult stem cell research buried down in the article, I don’t recall reading a single mention that said adult stem cell research is ALREADY providing cures and therapies. How disingenuous of the Argus Leader!
In wartime, you expect that the enemy country is going to peddle propaganda to help their side. Is that what we have here, in our ongoing culture war?
I believe it was Pope John Paul II who made the term “Culture of Death” famous to describe this faction of our society which seems enamoured with things which end innocent human life: abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research. I used to think that the “Culture of Death” was only passively inclined toward death. The more I see, however, the more I’m starting to believe death is something they eagerly embrace…as long as it’s somebody else.
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