The Beginning of Human LifeMany people believe human life begins at conception. Others acknowledge life at conception, but differ about when that life becomes human.
* We seek to explore all these views on the beginning of human life.
* We seek to encourage civil dialogue, by considering all scientific, theological, philosophical, ethical and political perspectives.
* We seek a consensus for allowing medical research while protecting embryonic life.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-133143732006-10-28T22:08:02ZBlogger
This is an Atom formatted XML site feed. It is intended to be viewed in a Newsreader or syndicated to another site. Please visit the Blogger Help for more info.
trueTLS2006-10-28T18:05:00-04:002006-10-28T22:08:02Z2006-10-28T22:06:21Ztag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13314373.post-116207318156121523How Low Can Rush Go?I meant to post this a few days ago, concurrent with the breaking news of Rush Limbaugh's incredibly insensitive remarks about Michael J. Fox. Life and work intervened, and when I looked up again it was the weekend. I'd missed Rush's numerous attempts to apologize, rationalize, editorialize, and revise his callous comments. (It pains me to send anyone to his site, but it does give us an idea offalseTLS2006-10-23T10:19:00-04:002006-10-23T15:37:32Z2006-10-23T15:37:31Ztag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13314373.post-116161785171285727Stem Cells in the NewsThe New Jersey state assembly is moving toward passage of a bill that would provide $270 million for stem-cell research, including the controversial embryonic stem cells. The bill, already approved by a legislative panel, now needs approval by the full Assembly before moving to the state Senate.
Not surprising, the state's anti-embryonic stem-cell force (I really object to these groups' co-optionfalseTLS2006-10-17T18:53:00-04:002006-10-17T23:06:00Z2006-10-17T23:06:00Ztag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13314373.post-116112636004578890There's life, and then there's life...
This cartoon from 2005 is just as pertinent today, if not more so. Visit Daryl Cagle's Cartoon Index for a wealth of topical cartoons and talented cartoonists.falseTLS2006-10-17T18:05:00-04:002006-10-17T23:08:40Z2006-10-17T22:43:03Ztag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13314373.post-116112498398985548Embryonic Stem Cells in the NewsSome of the latest news items on the status of embryonic stem-cell research:
1. More than a millon Americans who suffer from the debilitating neurological disorder Parkinson's disease are likely to be among the first to benefit from promising advances in embryonic stem cell research, unless political controversy keeps slowing down the process, scientists said Monday. Read the article
2. BurtfalseTLS2006-10-17T17:52:00-04:002006-10-17T21:53:37Z2006-10-17T21:53:37Ztag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13314373.post-116112201733315254On: Who left in the civilized world could possibly be surprised?It's no secret that George W. Bush is opposed to embryonic stem-cell research. It's also no stretch to assume that George W. Bush was not a whiz at science in school. So it now comes as no surprise that the scientist unceremoniously dumped last year from the President's Council on Bioethics has won two international science awards within the last three weeks.
Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, "hailed asfalseJohn2006-09-29T10:37:00-04:002006-09-29T14:58:10Z2006-09-29T14:57:59Ztag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13314373.post-115954187993022746Having It Both Ways -- or Trying Hard ToMost of the comments we've received to our posts here have been intelligent and thoughtful, coming from posters who are themselves intelligent and thoughtful. What self-respecting blog wouldn't cherish such contributions?
This is not to say, though, that everyone with an opinion on the beginning of human life is equally deserving of the benefit of the doubt.
It's a sad commentary on the state offalseTLS2006-09-24T14:58:00-04:002006-09-24T20:06:20Z2006-09-24T20:06:18Ztag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13314373.post-115912837812156363Weird Tales From the Stem-cell LabThis, from yesterday's Washington Post:Researchers reported Thursday that they had cultivated a colony of human embryonic stem cells from an apparently dead embryo, a strategy some have suggested might be less controversial than conventional approaches that require the destruction of living embryos.Whoa. Is it just me or does this strike you as slightly strange? I'm not sure what part of it isfalseJohn2006-09-17T14:33:00-04:002006-09-17T18:41:27Z2006-09-17T18:41:27Ztag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13314373.post-115851848722582657A light momentNot to say that we take this blog's subject lightly, of course. But it doesn't hurt to stop sometimes, catch your breath, and laugh.
Ruben Bolling's "Tom the Dancing Bug" cartoon is his weekly contribution to the effort to not take things too seriously. Back in July he came up with one (excerpted at the right; full-sized original here) particularly relevant to the content here on the Beginning offalseTLS2006-09-16T16:21:00-04:002006-09-16T20:43:21Z2006-09-16T20:43:21Ztag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13314373.post-115843940110390370More on Embryo CullingIn a column entitled "Better Than Sex: The growing practice of embryo eugenics," today's issue of Slate has this from William Saletan:What flaws are we screening for? That's the most uncomfortable question of all. Sometimes the flaw is a horrible disease. But increasingly, it's a milder disease, the absence of useful tissue, or just the wrong sex. If you think it's hard to explain where babiesfalse