Stem Cell Research

If you got a glimpse of Elizabeth Dole this year, count yourself among the lucky few.

When it came to protecting North Carolina communities against an unwanted outlying landing field, providing health insurance for children, and taking a stand against Big Oil, Dole was missing in action.

The one place she could be found was among the thickets of Bush Republicans who sided with special interests and blocked Congress from moving forward on our top priorities.

Maybe in 2008 Dole will stop obstructing and actually deliver. Or maybe she’ll keep finding excuses for her obstruction.

Here’s a holiday list of what North Carolina families were looking for this year, and what they’ll keep demanding in the New Year.

Click here to read more.

Republicans Oppose Promising Stem Cell Legislation

Today, with one stroke of his veto pen, President Bush denied hope to North Carolinians and millions of other Americans by vetoing critical legislation to expand federal funding of stem cells.

Respected scientists have confirmed that embryonic stem cell research holds the most promise of helping to cure debilitating diseases like Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, diabetes and Parkinson’s. Yet, the President and Bush Republicans in Congress are determined to put their ideology above compassion for Americans who are suffering.

1.Suspend some elements of the Patriot Act and Detainee Bill for Congressional review.
“The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. “For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all”. - H. L. Mencken

2.Deny any additional funding for US Combat roles in Iraq. (This will require the often absent backbone and integrity, but I feel we can do it).”Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare”. Japanese proverb

3.Increase funding for U.S. military operations in Afghanistan. They actually did facilitate an attack on our country. Osama Bin Laden is there, maybe.

4.Prohibit torture in any and all of its forms to include the President’s approved “Enhanced Interrogation Techniques”. "What we must face squarely is this: whenever we torture or mistreat prisoners, we are capitulating morally to the enemy-in fact, adopting the terrorist ethic that the end justifies the means." Rev. Kermit D. Johnson, Chaplain (Major General), U.S. Army (ret.)

There is an important development in the debate on federal support for stem cell research that has a North Carolina connection. Dr. Anthony Atala, head of Wake Forest's regenerative medicine institute, announced a breakthrough that suggests stem cells drawn from the amniotic fluid donated by pregnant women could be a substitute for many of the research purposes previously reserved for embryonic stem cells.

Until now the issue over stem cell research has centered almost exclusively on stem cells extracted from fertilized human eggs harvested from clinics that specialize in in vitro fertilization. The objection to the use of these fertilized eggs by both the religious right and the Catholic Church has been based upon their common belief that life begins at conception.