Monsters, monsters everywhere

February 1, 2006

Earlier this week, David Stevens, executive director of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations, said medical professionals need to be able put their personal beliefs ahead of their professional responsibilities because of new scientific advances that could “violate their consciences.” What are these advances?

“We are moving into a brave new world of cloning, cyborgs, sex selection, genetic testing of embryos,” Stevens said.

Then, last night, the president urged lawmakers to pass legislation curbing what he considers “egregious abuses of medical research,” including:

“human cloning in all its forms, creating or implanting embryos for experiments, creating human-animal hybrids, and buying, selling, or patenting human embryos.”

I’m hardly an expert in medical research, but exactly how worried are we that cyborgs and human-animal hybrids are right around the corner? And what about the dreaded cyborg-human-animal trifecta?

The sad part is that human cloning and stem cell research could really do a lot of good for people. People need to get over their fear of the ‘evil clone’. As far as I know, scientists have to inclination to clone an entire human (and even if they did, the technology is is on the very, very distant horizon), but instead organs and tissues for transplants. How many people on organ transpant lists die every day while awaiting a sutable match? Bush should tell them and their families that he disapproves of human cloning research for moral issues.

  • All attempts to try and kill the fairly strong and growing national support for stem cell research. Note that when chimpy was discussing being leaders in technology and development he failed to mention this area, or even biological research in general.

    And it is my understanding that human cells have been merged with mice and rabbit cells to try and grow stem cells.

  • The only cyborg-human-animal hyrbid I know of Dick Cheney.

    And the only people I can imagine buying, selling or patenting human embryos would be Republicans.

  • Ed, you are right on. The problem here is that Biotech firms will ahve to be regulated and monitored to prevent abuses. republicans 1) hate regulation and 2) know all too well that corporations left to their own devices will abandon ethics for profits.

    What ever happend to the free market will dictate what industry does? Are they afraid the over the top demand for Centuars will cause problems?

    I for one am on the list for a real Siamese cat, Burmese python, Italian greyhound, and American bulldog (which I expect to look a lot like John Madden).

    Puhleeze!

  • It’s true.

    Outlawing something is so much better than regulation. Outlaws can do anything they damn well want. Legal industries are constrained.

    If Cheney wants to do a brain transplant into a clone’s body, he better hope that cloning is made illegal so that there is some black market for the technique.

    The real tipping point will be when certain compliant religions start to argue that clones have no souls, and thus have no legal, property or civil rights.

    Then we can recreate slavery ;-(

  • For what it is worth, there are plenty of human-animal hybrids already. Pig heart valves are all the rage this year, I am told.

  • The real tipping point will be when certain compliant religions start to argue that clones have no souls, and thus have no legal, property or civil rights.

    Exactly right. And horrifying.

  • The wingnut strategy, both secular and religious, has always been to generate fear and paranoia which makes the public easier to manipulate.

    The secular side has used the ‘nukular weapons in the hands of those filthy terrorists’ approach while the religious side has found the ‘filthy gay pervert abortionists are coming to get you’ message useful.

    Unfortunately for them, the standard themes are losing their effectiveness, so they are looking to new ones like the ‘hideous unnatural satanic Frankensteins are coming to get you’ theme that seems to be gaining popularity lately.

    Don’t let them fool you. The words may change but the objective remains the same. As long as it keeps people frightened and mistrustful, they don’t care what message they use.

    So the mission for each of us is to become a beacon of light that disperses the darkness they generate, each in our own way. How you do that is up to you. Just do it. It’s important.

  • “The real tipping point will be when certain compliant religions start to argue that clones have no souls, and thus have no legal, property or civil rights.”

    “Exactly right. And horrifying.”

    Don’t worry too much. The Catholic Church will make room for them. As long as they are not gay or divorced.

  • PZ Meyers has an excellent write-up about Bush’s comment in his blog. Basically, he says that Bush is so repulsed by any kind of embryonic experimentation that he’s willing to sacrifice cures for Down’s syndromes, etc.

  • According to some folks, the exponential rate of technological change will give us the gift of DNA garage hackers on the order of 20 years.

  • there are a lot of scientists at Halliburton who are wishing Bush had not heard about their attempts to breed super soldiers – half human, half animal.

    In a few days, it will be spun that animal-human hybrids are OK – it’s just those human aninals we are legislating against

  • “there are a lot of scientists at Halliburton who are wishing Bush had not heard about their attempts to breed super soldiers – half human, half animal.” — Dave

    Read Lois McMaster Bujold’s Miles Vorkorsign series

    There is a eight foot tall super soldier with racing horse genes name Sergeant Taura.

    The whole series has some great insights about clones and legal systems.

  • I’m down with the gills and wings, Zoe, but I’ve seen a baboon’s behind and it’s just, like, all weird and stuff. So I’d pass on that one, myself.

    Not that there’s anything wrong with wanting a baboon’s butt, though. Nosiree!! And I fully support your Constitutional right to have whatever kind of rearend your little heart desires, gol-dang-it. 🙂

    Thanks for a good laugh, I needed that……

  • Alright people. We FINALLY have the angle that the GOP cannot back down from. BUSH HAS OUTLAWED UNICORNS!!

  • The whole series has some great insights about clones and legal systems.

    Not to mention a bunch of other great science fiction stuff. Great series!

  • The “Christian” Medical and Dental Association… I forget, is that the sect who believes getting a blood transfusion is a sin? Or is it the one that’s trying to stop the HPV vaccine because they think it’s un-Biblical? Or is it some other group of anti-science religious kooks entirely?

  • Cheney is clearly a ten thousand year old cloned zombie with a lovable toothy grimace and a mad scientist glint in his eye. How like the republicans.. they have the undead secret for eternal life and they don’t want to share it with the masses.

  • “Or is it the one that’s trying to stop the HPV vaccine because they think it’s un-Biblical?” — melior

    “But, if we have a vaccine for HPV and young women and girls aren’t afraid of getting cervical cancer, they’ll have more unapproved sex!”

    That, actually, is what the religious right is saying.

  • has this world gone so low as to think even for one second that this is ok?!?!?!?!?! listen to your selves!!! I want wings I want duck feet I want a tail. oh yaa? well guess what, while your getting your tail the government is creating super solders for more advanced wars. slaves that have no rights under the law, and to give them rights would to create another WW by difference of opinion. while you are selfishly squandering this technology our world falls apart! you don’t think so? you don’t think people are biased enough to create another WW? we can’t even except people with a different color skin!! or even language for that matter!! what hope do you think a half hippo child would have in school (if they were aloud to attend) to make friends????? what about their families?? why do you think we have MORALS!?!? are you all so stupid that you can’t comprehend the difference between right and wrong??? the ethics of life are meant to prevent something like underworld revolution form befalling the human race, morals create boundaries between what we know will have dire consequences and what will have a positive affect. what prevents murders and rapists from getting this technologies?? what tell me? it’s not just a religious (even though all major religions see it as wrong) matter it’s common sense!! so stop acting like the world revolves around you!! you selfish idiots!!!

  • what prevents murders and rapists from getting this technologies?? what tell me?

    Ummm…. how about the fact that very few sceintists that know how to do this are murderers, or rapists? Kinda hard to get a Master’s with a record like that….
    And I’m assuming you’d love to lose the cure to cancer?

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