☆ TexasFreethinker ☆ Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 Dobson compares stem-cell research to Nazi experiments By Stuart Steers, Rocky Mountain News August 5, 2005 The bitter debate over embryonic stem-cell research came home to Colorado Thursday when a national controversy was sparked by comments by Focus on the Family founder James Dobson comparing the practice to Nazi death camp experiments. Dobson criticized embryonic stem-cell research in his daily radio broadcast Wednesday, which is taped at the group's Colorado Springs headquarters. In the broadcast, which Focus says is aired on 3,000 outlets, Dobson said the argument that such research would save human lives also could be used to justify the notorious medical experiments conducted by the Nazis. "In World War II, the Nazis experimented on human beings in horrible ways in the concentration camps, and I imagine, if you wanted to take the time to read about it, there would have been some discoveries there that benefited mankind," Dobson said. But he went on to say, "You know, if you take a utilitarian approach, that if something results in good, then it is good. But that's obviously not true. "We condemn what the Nazis did because there are some things that we always could do but we haven't done because science always has to be guided by ethics and by morality. And you remove ethics and morality, and you get what happened in Nazi Germany." The comments created a furor after a local group, ProgressNow.org, publicized them and demanded that Dobson apologize. The Anti-Defamation League, a national group that campaigns against anti-Semitism, accused Dobson of trivializing the Holocaust. "There is no legitimate comparison between stem-cell research, which seeks to find a cure for disease and to counter human suffering, and the perversion of science and morality represented by the actions of Nazi doctors who deliberately tortured their victims in medical 'experiments' on human beings, including young children and the disabled," wrote ADL Director Abraham Foxman in a letter to Dobson, asking him to repudiate his remarks. Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat, is sponsoring a bill that would expand the number of embryonic stem-cell lines available for federally funded research. She, too, blasted Dobson's comments, calling them "extremely ignorant and insulting." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Japedo Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 The fruity Fundamental Christian Right is becoming more rabidly hateful and ignorant by the passing day. WTF, Robertson wishing death of the USSC Justices, and now this wind bag spreading lies and trying to infringe on medical technology. Dobson attributes cures to disease to god and not to science, and in fact praises god instead of thanking or supporting science for any of the discoveries. If Stem cell can help heal a spinal injury, or Parkinson's Why not use it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 The ignorance of fundies never ceases to amaze me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highvoltage Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 I get sick when I hear stuff like this. Not because one person says it, but because so many people believe it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlinfmct87 Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 If Dobson comes down with Parkinson's or gets paralyzed, he might be wishing he had sung a different tune. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes, and meanwhile the people that actually DO have Parkinson's are dying needlessly. Merlin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chefranden Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 Dobson compares stem-cell research to Nazi experiments That's funny! I compare Dobson with a Nazi experiment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valgeir Posted August 10, 2005 Share Posted August 10, 2005 If Dobson comes down with Parkinson's or gets paralyzed, he might be wishing he had sung a different tune. I can almost guarantee that if he needed this treatment, or someone in his family did, he'd do a complete 180 on the issue. They all would. Fucking hypocrites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trashy Posted August 10, 2005 Share Posted August 10, 2005 I'm not really 'up' on this whole area, but they seem to be claiming that adult stem cells are much better than embryonic stem cells: American Thinker WikiPedia has a good detailed entry on Stem Cells that's very informative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RankStranger Posted August 10, 2005 Share Posted August 10, 2005 I'm not really 'up' on this whole area, but they seem to be claiming that adult stem cells are much better than embryonic stem cells: American Thinker WikiPedia has a good detailed entry on Stem Cells that's very informative. "They" are claiming that adult stem cells are better because "they" are making excuses. Fist of all, this article cites a Fox News article to back up its claim that adult stem cells are more promising... Fox News... Secondly, it's really irrelevent if adult stem cell happen to be more 'promising'. Researchers should be allowed to choose their cells, so to speak. New research could easily show embryonic stem cells to be more promising, or they could have entirely different potential uses. Or maybe evil scientists just want to kill babies and clone Hitler?? Hell, aviation wasn't very promising a while back- horses got people around just fine. Them Wright bro's shouldn't have messed with that stupid flying thing. Somebody might've got hurt (and in fact did!), and horseless carriages were a much more promising mode of transportation at the time anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trashy Posted August 10, 2005 Share Posted August 10, 2005 "They" are claiming that adult stem cells are better because "they" are making excuses. Fist of all, this article cites a Fox News article to back up its claim that adult stem cells are more promising... Fox News... The other 15 sources they cited seem to have at least some credibility, if you want to actually do some balanced research and response. Or you could just continue to lob rants..... From my reading the xtians seem to think that blastocysts are, indeed, human life. But I have a feeling most of them protest because they fear what they don't understand. They probably think that scientists are harvesting them from abortion clinics. I guess they'd rather we flush them all than use them to make more...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RankStranger Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 The other 15 sources they cited seem to have at least some credibility, if you want to actually do some balanced research and response. Or you could just continue to lob rants..... From my reading the xtians seem to think that blastocysts are, indeed, human life. But I have a feeling most of them protest because they fear what they don't understand. They probably think that scientists are harvesting them from abortion clinics. I guess they'd rather we flush them all than use them to make more...? Um yeah... sorry about the rant. I've heard/read several conservative types tout the promising adult stem cell research as a reason why embryonic stem cell research is unneccesary(and therefore might as well be completely banned!)... thought you were doing the same. My bad. Bush's "err on the side of life"(unless that life is a potential terrorist?) rule is pretty descriptive of the christian mentality. Hmmm... it MIGHT be a sin, so we better ban it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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