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Babette’s letter to The Australian
newspaper |
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BRENT Howard
(Letters, 21/12) must be living on another planet if he is unaware that, to
date, there have been no treatments, cures or even clinical trials using
embryonic stem cells, whereas there are more than 65 successful treatments
for a range of diseases and disabilities using stem cells derived from
ethical sources. His statement that "banning research using embryos that
could help sick people is wrong" is totally mistaken. There is no
private investment in embryonic research – the market knows where the results
are coming from. Therefore, any taxpayer funding of embryonic research is
taking funds away from ethical stem cell research where new successful
treatments are being reported every day. Howard apparently even approves the
Lockhart recommendation for animal-human hybrid embryos, reminiscent of the
1920s order by Stalin that his scientists create half-man, half-ape
"warriors". Perhaps Brent is living on the planet of the apes, after
all. Babette Francis |