Dianne Feinstein Quotes
It is my hope that the number of stem cell lines available for federally-funded research will be expanded so that the government can continue to participate in this vital research and provide hope to the millions of Americans with diseases that might be cured.
United States, Congress, Senate. Congressional Record. Government Printing Office, 11 Apr. 2007.
When couples use in vitro fertilization to have children, they usually produce several fertilized embryos one of which is implanted into the womb of the mother. The other embryos can produce stem cells which are cells that can grow into any other kind of cell—brain cells, bone, cells, kidney cells, stc. Therefore they have the most promise for medical research. However, some people regard the embryos as human beings at an early stage of development and see the embryos as life. For them the notion of using that “life” for medical research where a human being will not be produced but instead a medicine or replacement cells for a sick person crosses a moral line of what is proper for a life form. Others observe that the embryos are kept alive in freezers and will be thrown away if not needed so why not use them to help mankind. At the other extreme some are opposed to allowing in vitro fertilization to begin with, but there have been over a million people born with this technique to couples who otherwise would not have been able to have children.
Stem cells are cells of the body that transform into all other cells as needed. Embryonic stem cells are the ones most easily transformed to create other needed cells. There was and is a large supply of embryonic stem cells but religious abortion opponents were concerned that if there were enough success there would be a market for fetal stem cells which would encourage some women to have abortions so that they could sell the embryonic stem cells. President Bush, to placate his religious right wing, had banned federal funds being used for fetal stem cell research. President Obama, who had campaigned on this issue and been elected, then overturned the ban with this quote.
Most of the biological scientists and research physicians had good reason to believe that Fetal Stem Cell research could have large payoff in terms of regenerating organs and other therapies. However, there was a very passionate minority who wanted it made illegal to do research with fetal stem cells. They argued that if the research was very successful, and fetal stem cells could be used to grow new healthy organs, abortions to “harvest” the fetal stem cells would increase. There were other fundamentalists who opposed doing any kind of research in creating life or organs. Only God may create life they argue. Specter, although aa Republican whose party mostly opposed Stem Cell Research did not believe that the religious views of some Americans shuld revent others from longer life and the benfit of medical research. However, conservatives of his party remembered and ousted him aat the Primary Election even though as a Republican he could easily win the state election of ll the citizens.
Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein is an American politician who has served as the senior United States Senator from California since 1992. A member of the Democratic Party, she was mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988.
