Friday, January 26, 2007

Culver to offer our money for unethical research

Ugh, not long in office and he is already doing it. The Des Moines Register reports that our new Governor, Chet Culver, wants to give $12.5 Million of taxpayer money for a stem cell research center at the University of Iowa.

He will also ask our Democratic controlled Legislature to lift a ban on a type of embryonic stem cell research. This ban was passed back in 2002, and in one of former Governor Vilsack's finer moments signed into law.

We need to protect a culture of life in the State of Iowa. This research certainly shouldn't be done on the backs of Iowa's taxpayers!

Psalm 139:13-16 makes it very clear God's purpose and plan for us before we are even born! God is life, therefore we should stand for life.

In an alert that the
Iowa Right to Life Committee sent out today points out:
"We agree that stem cell research is a wonderful blessing, but not embryonic. We fully support research using adult stem cell, which is already benefiting 73 diseases. Our opposition to embryonic stem cell research is both moral and practical. From the moral aspect, it will turn humans into a commodity that will create cloning farms to kill the embryos for research. From a practical standpoint, embryonic stem cell research is unsuccessful, curing no one--not even a mouse."
If you life in Iowa, you can contact your Legislator and tell them to vote against lifting the ban and funding unethical and ineffective research.

2 comments:

Shane Vander Hart said...

Update on this post:

IOWA RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE
January 26, 2007

The Des Moines Register continues to mislead the public in their article today and avoids the words human cloning. They report that Governor Culver wants to repeal "a type of stem cell research ban in Iowa. " For the sake of the reader, we have retrieved and pasted below the actual Iowa Code from the Legislative website www.legis.state.ia.us . As you will notice the law is called the "Human Cloning Prohibition Act," not a so-called form of embryonic stem cell research ban. Furthermore, there is NO Iowa law prohibiting scientists from embryonic stem cell research. We know this since the 2002 bill to ban embryonic stem cell research died in the House of Representatives by 3 votes.

If the Governor and Democrat controlled House and Senate are successful in repealing our Human Cloning Ban, it will ensure that Iowa will begin the production of Human Cloning Farms, funded by the taxpayer.

Attached is an explanation of reproductive cloning and stem cell research.
Be informed and let your legislator know that you oppose the repeal of the Iowa Human Cloning Ban. To find out who your representatives are and their e-mail addresses, go to http://www.legis.state.ia.us/aspx/Legislators/LegislatorInfo.aspx

Iowa Code
707B.1 TITLE.
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Human Cloning
Prohibition Act".
2002 Acts, ch 1127, §1
707B.2 PURPOSE.
It is the purpose of this chapter to prohibit human cloning for
any purpose, whether for reproductive cloning or therapeutic cloning.

2002 Acts, ch 1127, §2
707B.3 DEFINITIONS.
As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:
1. "Fetus" means a living organism of the species homo sapiens
from eight weeks' development until complete expulsion or extraction
from a woman's body, or until removal from an artificial womb or
other similar environment designed to nurture the development of such
organism.
2. "Human cloning" means human asexual reproduction, accomplished
by introducing the genetic material of a human somatic cell into a
fertilized or unfertilized oocyte whose nucleus has been or will be
removed or inactivated, to produce a living organism with a human or
predominantly human genetic constitution.
3. "Human embryo" means a living organism of the species homo
sapiens from the single-celled stage to eight weeks' development.
4. "Human somatic cell" means a cell having a complete set of
chromosomes obtained from a living or deceased human organism of the
species homo sapiens at any stage of development.
5. "Oocyte" means a human ovum.
2002 Acts, ch 1127, §3
707B.4 HUMAN CLONING -- PROHIBITIONS -- EXCEPTIONS -- PENALTY.
1. A person shall not intentionally or knowingly do any of the
following:
a. Perform or attempt to perform human cloning.
b. Participate in performing or in an attempt to perform human
cloning.
c. Transfer or receive a cloned human embryo for any purpose.
d. Transfer or receive, in whole or in part, any oocyte, human
embryo, fetus, or human somatic cell, for the purpose of human
cloning.
2. This section shall not restrict areas of scientific research
not specifically prohibited, including in vitro fertilization; the
administration of fertility-enhancing drugs; or research in the use
of nuclear transfer or other cloning techniques to produce molecules,
deoxyribonucleic acid, tissues, organs, plants, animals other than
humans, or cells other than human embryos.
3. a. A person who violates subsection 1, paragraph "a" or "b",
is guilty of a class "C" felony.
b. A person who violates subsection 1, paragraph "c" or "d", is
guilty of an aggravated misdemeanor.
4. A person who violates this section in a manner that results in
a pecuniary gain to the person is subject to a civil penalty in an
amount that is twice the amount of the gross gain.
5. A person who violates this section and who is licensed
pursuant to chapter 148, 150, or 150A is subject to revocation of the
person's license.
6. A violation of this section is grounds for denial of an
application for, denial of renewal of, or revocation of any license,
permit, certification, or any other form of permission required to
practice or engage in any trade, occupation, or profession regulated
by the state.
2002 Acts, ch 1127, §4

For More Information
Kim Lehman
Cell 515-202-2517
Kim@IRLC.org

Noah Braymen said...

This is absolutely terrible. I'm glad my hope and assurance is in Christ. If He tarries I pray that by the grace of God...these decisions will be reversed. Otherwise I eagerly await His return!

In Christ
Noah