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Package of bills requests embryo research transparencyIn Michigan, the passage of Proposal 2 by a narrow margin in 2008 left many questions regarding human embryonic stem cell research in its wake. To answer those questions, lawmakers introduced a bi-partisan package of bills in both the Michigan House and Senate. The Embryo Research and Fertility Clinic Transparency Act was reported out of the Michigan Senate Health Policy Committee on January 20, and more action is expected in the coming weeks. Adult stem cells cure patients with sickle cell diseaseNational Institutes of Health researchers report that they cured 9 out of 10 adult patients with sickle cell disease using bone marrow stem cells from their siblings. Majority of California grants go to non-embryonic workIn another sign that embryonic stem cell research is unlikely to ever result in successful treatments for human patients and is years behind adult stem cell research, the New York Times reports that only 4 of the 14 projects recently approved for $230 million in funding from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) plan on using embryonic stem cells. CIRM was originally created to fund embryonic stem cell research. iPS cells shown to function the same as embryonic stem cellsChinese scientists have created live mice by injecting iPS cells into mouse embryos. Researchers say the test proves that iPS cells can function exactly like embryonic stem cells. "This clearly says for the first time that iPS cells pass the most stringent test," said Konrad Hochedlinger, a stem cell researcher at Harvard University. NIH releases final guidelines on human embryonic stem cell researchOn July 6, 2009, the National Institutes of Health posted the final "National Institutes of Health Guidelines for Human Stem Cell Research." These guidelines allow federal tax dollars to support research on human embryonic stem cell lines obtained from human embryos at in-vitro fertilization clinics. Real Life: Saved By Her Brother
Embryo AdoptionEMBRYO OR TODDLER .
. . FRANK IS STILL FRANK!
Destroying human life for research, even at its
earliest stages of development, is a dangerous prospect. Saying these
members of our society who have been frozen will be discarded anyway is
inaccurate. Many are saved for future family building by their parents
and others, like Frank, have been adopted by families who cannot conceive
children on their own. |
Critical Reading
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Breaking News File
Cousins,
siblings, aunts and uncles are all blood relatives. Usually this is a
metaphor about the strong bonds holding families together. For six-year-old
Colleen, however, this is a fact that might have been the difference between
life and death.