A couple weeks ago, the "Lancet" announced a medical breakthrough: Using a patient's own bladder cells and a plastic framework, scientists at Boston Children's Hospital got these cells to multiply. They were then able to augment the patient's damaged bladder with this lab-grown bladder and greatly improve her quality of life.
Great story. More or less.
A less publicized story that week presented the data of scientists at Medical College of Georgia in Augusta who had used stem cells to decrease stroke damage in rat brains. The applicable research in humans with strokes and cerebral palsy is proceeding far too slowly.
Research into stem cell treatment of diabetes in children and others is hamstrung by the edicts and leadership of [edited by author[ George Bush. Children are suffering and even dying because of his scientific ignorance.
Vatican opposition continues and strengthens. ("Happy Easter, children. Don't touch the damn sugary chocolate Easter eggs!")
Guess what else could be used to build a bladder, revive a pancreas or repair injured vertebral discs, bone and muscle? Stem cells.
(The key word in the Passover Hagaddah, Mitzrayim, translated as "Egypt" could also be translated roughly as "narrow straits" to indicate a freedom from old, out of date thought processes. And what better way to celebrate rising from the dead than to liberate modern medical use of stem cells to save children with diabetes?)
In this season of renewal as many of us celebrate holidays of rebirth, and breaking away from narrow minded thinking, let's get our Pharoahs to let the stem cells go.
JNG MD
MAJOR EDIT:
One of the comments corrected my misuse of the term "Luddite" and I have removed the word in describing our unscientific, uneducated President's opposition to life-saving stem cell research. It was disrespectful to Luddites . . .
JNG MD
COMMENT
It's sad you call him Luddite moron in chief. The Luddites were the opposite of this guy, and certainly not idiots. You should find out more about Mr. Ludd - he was far ahead of his time and his fears have come true over and over and over again, especially today.