You know the old lawyer trick: Commit Act A against someone, then deflect accusations of wrong-doing by reversing roles and accusing that someone of committing Act A him/herself -- or at least something just as bad! This is precisely the game about to take center stage at the Republican National Convention, where tonight Michael Reagan, prolife son of former President Ronald Reagan, will give a speech against human cloning and human stem cell research. Already the Big BioTech researchers and organizations are poised to refute Regan's speech with a barnfull of their usual scientific lies.
Specifically, the accusations in the news wire release below include: Opposition to such research is merely "theological", "ideological", "personal beliefs"; distorting and censoring scientific findings; not allowing government and scientists to be honest about the basis of scientific research; political interference with science; the need for independent scientific advice, from a wide-range of expert opinions; providing misleading and inaccurate information; manipulate and ignore scientific evidence; and the need to restore scientific integrity to government decisions that affect families' health, public safety, environmental protection and community well-being.
If ever there were a litany of the decades-long political malfeasance and downright scientific fraud committed on a daily basis by these Big BioTech scientists and their promoters this is it. At least now we have an organization chart of where such hypocrisy resides.
The objective scientific facts -- in concert with the international nomenclature -- have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with either theology, politics, ideology, or personal opinions -- although such might just happen to coincide with the objective scientific facts. Even SECULAR opposition to human cloning and human embryonic stem cell research (whether stem cells are retrieved from sexually or asexually reproduced embryonic human beings) is based on the objective scientific fact that the immediate product of either fertilization or cloning is a single-cell ORGANISM, a single-cell HUMAN BEING -- and to deliberately kill that innocent HUMAN BEING is inherently wrong and is a direct violation of the equality of ALL human beings. Instead, these researchers and organizations have their own agenda and "opinions", blatantly lie to the public about these objective scientific facts, and claim instead that the immediate product of both sexual and asexual reproduction is just a "cell", that the blastocyst is just "a ball of cells" in order to fool them.
It is not the "theology" they fear. IT IS THE OBJECTIVE SCIENTIFIC FACTS THEY FEAR, objective scientific facts determined by the consensus of Ph.D. human embryologists from around the world (the international Nomina Embryologica Committee). Just because a group of rogue "scientists" vote that something is an accurate scientific fact does not thereby make that "fact" accurate or true. Not just any scientist can take that vote; only those who have the legitimate academic degrees and professional experience to do so can. Otherwise such a "consensus" is a "consensus" in name only -- aka, a myth, a "fairy tale".
Since persistent efforts to call them to academic, professional, and legal accountability for decades have failed miserably, there is no other kinder, gentler, or diplomatic way left to put it: This is overt objective scientific fraud on a massive scale. Ask them to PROVE their "scientific" claims; they can't -- and that is precisely why they have created an entire library of scientific lies. If they will lie about THIS science then they will lie about ANY science. Feminists Beware!
Translation for public policy makers: all of this false "science" and "data" will next be APPLIED to the public at large through "innovative" medical "therapies" and "products", immediately adversely affecting the public good in ways too terrible and numerous to list here. Indeed, unless public science and medical policies are BASED DIRECTLY ON OBJECTIVE SCIENTIFIC FACTS, any administration is thereby directly complicit with the massive harm to its citizens that flow from them -- and that includes the Bush administration.
Below please note the in-your-face false "scientific" claims about to be released with the usual cohort of "scientists" and their business and political promoters, who have made a living and fame on falsifying the science of human cloning and human embryonic stem cell research in order to achieve their own self-interested goals. For extensive scientific refutations and references of these and similar corrupt scientific statements, see Irving articles in "Bioethics", "Cloning/Stem Cells", ÒBill AnalysesÓ, and "Genetic Engineering" topics at http://www.lifeissues.net/section.php?topic=ir.
(emphases added)
http://www.prnewswire.com/
Michael Reagan Expected to Mention Bush's Stem Cell Policy During Remarks at The Republican National Convention
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/
"Understanding life-threatening diseases -- whether Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, or AIDS -- cannot accommodate ideological limitations imposed on promising avenues of research, such as the use of embryonic stem cells. Solving the body's mysteries, in order to protect the health of the public, demands faithful adherence to intellectual curiosity unfettered by politics or personal beliefs. As long as the need for knowledge is so great, the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) will defend the capacity to pursue science in the service of all humanity." -- Judy Auerbach, Ph.D, Vice President for Public Policy at the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR). Former Director of the Behavioral and Social Science Program and the HIV Prevention Science Coordinator in the Office of AIDS Research (OAR) at National Institutes of Health (NIH); former Assistant Director of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Contact: Peter Taback: w: 212-806-1602 or c: 646-379-1445.
"President Bush has drastically limited access to new stem cell lines despite the enormous hope this research provides. This is just one example of this administration's larger, disturbing pattern of distorting and censoring scientific findings that contradict its policies. Science cannot be bent to support theology-based decisions. Science is science and theology is theology, and government and scientists must be honest about the basis upon which scientific research is being allowed to develop." -- Thomas J. Coates, Ph.D, Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Co-founder, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at UCSF; and member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Contact: 310-794-3580 or TCoates@med.net.ucla.edu.
"This Administration's handling of the issue of stem cell research is just one example of many instances of political interference with science. In dismissing Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn from the President's Council on Bioethics, the administration attempted to block out objective advice from scientific experts whose views did not conform with its agenda -- as it has done on issues ranging from lead pollution to emergency contraception. Regardless of the Administration's ultimate decision on embryonic stem cells or any other issue, it is inexcusable that it attempted to interfere with independent scientific advice." -- Dr. Kurt Gottfried, Professor Emeritus of Physics of Cornell University and Board Chair of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Former senior staff member, European Center for Nuclear Research in Geneva; former chair, Division of Particles and Fields at the American Physical Society, member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Council on Foreign Relations. Contact: Lexi Shultz at lshultz@ucsusa.org or 202-223-6133 ext. 126.
"The debate over stem cell research reflects the Bush administration's overall antipathy toward science. Though the benefits of stem cells are not yet known, we do know that by providing misleading and inaccurate information about the existing cell lines, the Bush Administration has limited the ability of scientists and medical researchers to explore its full potential. This willingness to stifle potentially important research and manipulate and ignore scientific evidence extends to a broad range of critical public health concerns, such as toxic pollution and serious diseases like AIDS. It is time for the Bush Administration to stop interfering with the scientific process and ensure that public health decisions are based on objective inquiry and informed by a range of expert opinions." -- Susan West Marmagas, MPH, Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility's Environment and Health Program. Member, Environmental Protection Agency's Children's Environmental Health Protection Advisory Committee; former chair, Environment Section of the American Public Health Association. Contact: cell: 703-408-6073.
"The stem cell issue is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Bush Administration's manipulation of science. From keeping emergency contraception from gaining over the counter status, to misrepresenting condom effectiveness in preventing HIV/AIDS, the administration has demonstrated a disturbing pattern of putting politics ahead of science. It is time to restore scientific integrity to government decisions that affect families' health, public safety, environmental protection and community well-being." -- Kirsten Moore, President & CEO of Reproductive Health Technologies Project. Contact: Chrissy Faessen at 703-582-2777 or chrissy.faessen@bh.ddb.com.
"The federal government has an important role to play in both funding and conducting scientific research. But a real concern about placing federal limits on stem cell research is that it hamstrings federally-funded researchers, while private corporations surge ahead with stem cell research that is patented and privately-owned. The Administration's policy on stem cell research is part of a troubling pattern that prioritizes corporate financial interests over America's public health interests." -- Jennifer Sass, Ph.D, public interest scientist, Natural Resources Defense Council, Contact: 202-289-6868 or jsass@nrdc.org.
These experts are available to comment on Reagan's upcoming speech, the Bush administration's stem cell policies, and the politicization of science and research. They are eager to talk about ways science and government can work together to restore scientific integrity to government decisions that affect families' health, public safety, environmental protection and community well-being.
For additional information on the experts or these issues please contact: Chrissy Faessen at chrissy.faessen@bh.ddb.com or 703-582-2777.
SOURCE UCS/RHTP
CO: UCS/RHTP
ST: District of Columbia, New York
SU: CPN
http://www.prnewswire.com
08/31/2004 09:30 EDT
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