Saturday, March 07, 2009
Classic distortion
The cable "news" channels are pulling a classic bit of propagandistic distortion on the stem-cell controversy.
First, the Bush order did not prohibit all embryonic stem-cell research; it only prohibited federal funding for some lines of ESC. In other words, it was a purely symbolic ploy, giving cynical lip service to evangelical and Catholic voting blocs.
The "news" channels are universally and uniformly describing the Bush order as "prohibiting all stem-cell research."
Second, the best argument against ESC is that it's unnecessary. Because ESC research was not prohibited, it has proceeded under private funding and in other countries. And despite all this research, ESC remains only a potential life-saver; the other types of stem-cell therapy (from cord blood or from the patient's own cells) are yielding actual cures.
The "news" channels never mention this fact, not even once. Their sole description of the anti-ESC argument is as follows, verbatim: "Those Neanderthal conservative critics somehow believe, for some weird and incomprehensible reason, that killing embryos is somehow the same thing as killing a human being. Of course we smart people know better, don't we? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
When scientists are mainly concerned with doing science, they put most of their resources into pursuing the best and quickest paths to the desired result, as common sense would dictate. In this case the best and quickest path, regardless of moral questions, is cord blood and adult cells. The fact that American "scientists" are fiercely uninterested in non-embryonic methods tells us all we need to know. American "scientists" are standing on the giant shoulders of their noble forebear and mentor, Dr. Josef Mengele. ¶ 7:03 AM
First, the Bush order did not prohibit all embryonic stem-cell research; it only prohibited federal funding for some lines of ESC. In other words, it was a purely symbolic ploy, giving cynical lip service to evangelical and Catholic voting blocs.
The "news" channels are universally and uniformly describing the Bush order as "prohibiting all stem-cell research."
Second, the best argument against ESC is that it's unnecessary. Because ESC research was not prohibited, it has proceeded under private funding and in other countries. And despite all this research, ESC remains only a potential life-saver; the other types of stem-cell therapy (from cord blood or from the patient's own cells) are yielding actual cures.
The "news" channels never mention this fact, not even once. Their sole description of the anti-ESC argument is as follows, verbatim: "Those Neanderthal conservative critics somehow believe, for some weird and incomprehensible reason, that killing embryos is somehow the same thing as killing a human being. Of course we smart people know better, don't we? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
When scientists are mainly concerned with doing science, they put most of their resources into pursuing the best and quickest paths to the desired result, as common sense would dictate. In this case the best and quickest path, regardless of moral questions, is cord blood and adult cells. The fact that American "scientists" are fiercely uninterested in non-embryonic methods tells us all we need to know. American "scientists" are standing on the giant shoulders of their noble forebear and mentor, Dr. Josef Mengele. ¶ 7:03 AM
