Bush was ahead of his time on this matter... but it is because he had people like Robert P. George on his bioethics committee. Robert P. George is one of my favorite authors on hot-button topics. If you want good conservative answers that incorporate natural law (you know, the “stuff” the Constitution was formulated after) into arguments, he is your guy:
- In Defense of Natural Law;
- Embryo: A Defense of Human Life;
- The Meaning of Marriage: Family, State, Market, And Morals;
- Clash Of Orthodoxies: Law Religion & Morality In Crisis;
- Making Men Moral: Civil Liberties and Public Morality.
Scientific breakthrough! No embryonic stem cells needed
New research uses adult sources to grow heart, lung, brain tissues
August 22, 2008
By Bob Unruh
The argument for embryonic stem cells as the potential solution for a vast array of human diseases has taken another significant hit with the successful testing of an adult cell that can match tissues in the heart, lung, liver, pancreas, blood vessels, brain, muscle, bone and fat.
The San Francisco research and development company Medistem Inc. says its newest tests reveal the cell can regenerate failed blood vessels, allowing a restoration of health in limbs once given no alternative but amputation.
Many medical researchers long have cited their desire for embryonic stem cells to study as a possible solution to myriad human diseases, although few results actually have been documented. Celebrities also have chimed in, including actor Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's disease. During the 2006 election he lobbied for a Missouri plan that enshrined in the state constitution the right to clone human embryos for "research."
Now officials with Medistem Laboratories have confirmed their Endometrial Regenerative Cell has treated an advanced form of peripheral artery disease known as critical limb ischemia successfully.
In a peer reviewed publication, the team supported by Medistem said the administration of ERC "preserved leg function and viability in animals induced to mimic the human condition of critical limb ischemia."
"As a physician to sufferers of critical limb ischemia, I am extremely proud to be involved in developing therapeutic applications using the ERC cell. If approved by the FDA, we may one day provide this patient population with an option to amputation," said Dr. Michael Murphy, a vascular surgeon who served as lead author....
