The Beginning of Human Life

Susan G. Komen Foundation Also Stops Funding Embryonic Stem Cell Research

2012-02-04T16:56:00.001-05:00

From Care2: In addition to pulling funds from Planned Parenthood (a decision they reversed yesterday after overwhelmingly negative public response), The Susan G. Komen Foundation also decided to stop funding embryonic stem cell research centers, making it fully transparent the organization has evolved from non-political non-profit to a partisan advocacy organization. That means the loss of

Novartis drug investigated after 11 deaths

2012-01-21T16:11:00.000-05:00

From MSNBC.com: A European agency is investigating a multiple sclerosis drug made by industry giant Novartis to determine whether the medicine played any role in the deaths at least 11 patients. The drug, Gilenya, was licensed last year in the European Union to treat a severe type of multiple sclerosis. It can cause a slow heart rate when first taken and doctors closely monitor patients after

Less educated 'will age faster'

2011-05-11T18:44:00.002-04:00

From BBC News: DNA evidence suggests cellular ageing is more advanced in adults with no qualifications compared with those who have a university degree. Experts think education might help people lead more healthy lives. The British Heart Foundation said the London-based study, in journal Brain, Behaviour and Immunity, reinforced the need to tackle social inequalities.

Genetic Testing for Kids: Is It a Good Idea?

2011-04-21T18:34:00.000-04:00

From Time Magazine: With the advent of new genetic tests, it's increasingly easy to gauge whether you're predisposed to developing certain conditions — diabetes, say, or breast cancer. For adults, that knowledge can be simultaneously overwhelming and empowering. For children, the ramifications of such predictions are especially controversial, which is why professional groups — the American

Margaret Atwood Novel Comes to Life in Indiana

2011-04-21T18:28:00.002-04:00

Should women be held criminally liable for their pregnancies? Read what happened to one woman who tried to commit suicide while pregnant.From The Daily Beast: Bei Bei Shuai was so depressed last Christmas, she chose a punishing way to die: rat poison. When her friends swooped in and saved her life, the Chinese restaurant owner’s story might have ended happily, except for one detail about

Embryonic stem cells: controversial yet powerful

2010-10-12T12:46:00.000-04:00

From Reuters:Doctors have begun testing human embryonic stem cells on a patient for the first time, Geron Corp. said on Monday. Geron has the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration license to use the controversial cells to treat people, in this case patients with new spinal cord injuries. Following are some facts about stem cells:* Stem cells are the body's master cells, the source of all

Vatican official criticises Nobel win for IVF pioneer

2010-10-04T16:45:00.000-04:00

From the BBC:A Vatican official has said the awarding of the Nobel Prize for Medicine to British IVF pioneer Robert Edwards is "completely out of order". Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, head of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said the award ignored the ethical questions raised by the fertility treatment. He said IVF had led to the destruction of large numbers of human

In-Vitro Pioneer Robert Edwards Wins Nobel Prize in Medicine

2010-10-04T16:36:00.002-04:00

From FoxNews.com: Robert Edwards of Britain won the 2010 Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for developing in-vitro fertilization, a controversial breakthrough that ignited sharp criticism from religious leaders but helped millions of infertile couples in the last three decades have children. Edwards, an 85-year-old professor emeritus at the University of Cambridge, started working on IVF as

This blog has moved

2010-04-15T16:35:00.001-04:00

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ADMIN: Upcoming Changes to the Beginning of Human Life Blog

2010-04-15T16:24:00.002-04:00

Because of some changes required by Blogger, which hosts this blog at sossisson.com, we will be making numerous changes in coming weeks. These will almost certainly involve: Changes to the "look": these include color, font, and layout changes. This may look at first as though the blog has been disconnected from sosisson.com; not so. Eventually it will all get sorted out! Accessibility of old

Senate Vote Clears Way to Debate Healthcare Bill

2009-11-22T11:23:00.002-05:00

The Chicago TribuneWithout a vote to spare, Democrats pushed their healthcare legislation over its first obstacle on the Senate floor Saturday, as the chamber voted to begin formal debate of a sweeping measure to guarantee medical coverage for all Americans.The 60-39 vote backed by all 58 Democrats and two independents - overcame a Republican-led filibuster designed to block consideration of the

Democrats Secure Votes to Advance Healthcare Bill

2009-11-21T19:13:00.002-05:00

Washington Post Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) appeared Saturday to secure the 60 votes needed to move an $848 billion health-care reform bill to the Senate floor for debate, as the last two holdouts in his Democratic caucus said they will not join in a Republican filibuster. After days of indecision, Sens. Blanche Lincoln (Ark.) and Mary Landrieu (La.) declared that they will

More Media Coverage on Catholic Church's Stand-off with Senate

2009-11-21T18:57:00.002-05:00

The New York Times The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, fresh off their abortion victory on health care legislation in the House, has joined the battle in the Senate and called for the same amendment that it pushed through the House. In a letter Friday (PDF) to senators, the bishops said that the language in the current bill put forth by Democratic leaders violates the principle

Catholic Church Intensifies Lobbying as Senate Readies to Cast 1st Vote on Healthcare Reform

2009-11-21T18:31:00.004-05:00

The Catholic Church's heavy-handed lobbying to remove abortion coverage from any major health care reform is still center stage as the Senate readies to take its first vote on the issue. Here's a sampling from newspapers around the country:The PressDemocrat (Santa Rosa, CA.)From parish pews to the halls of Congress, Catholics are caught up in a debate that challenges their core beliefs on two

Senate Mired in Fallout from House's Stupak Amendment

2009-11-15T17:28:00.003-05:00

Last Tuesday's Wall Street Journal examined the fallout in the Senate from the House's adoption of Rep. Bart Stupak's amendment.A key Democratic senator said Monday he will follow House colleagues in insisting on tough antiabortion language before he votes for a health overhaul bill, causing new headaches for Senate leaders even before debate on a final bill begins.Leading Senate Democrats are

Stupak Amendment More Than a Moral Victory for Catholic Bishops?

2009-11-14T17:16:00.002-05:00

The Colorado Independent 11/13/09 Is the Catholic Bishops' strong opposition to a healthcare reform bill that does not exclude abortion strictly a moral stance, or is it something more? Pass the kind of national health reform that brings in the vast ranks of the uninsured and you increase the number of consumers in the health care industry.Although the bishops’ stand against health reform

One More Reason I'm Glad Obama is President and Bush is Back in Texas

2009-03-21T19:54:00.002-04:00

It's been a busy few weeks, but here's a brief recap on President Obama's reversal of Bush's ban on embryonic stem cell research:The Moral Imperative to Relieve Suffering: Embryonic Stem Cell Research There have been many moral objections raised to embryonic stem cell research. But as President Obama prepares to sign an

Are "human life" and "person" one and the same?

2008-03-03T18:47:00.004-05:00

The following is part of a recent post to a blog called Todd Bradley's Galaxy. Thought it was interesting enough to mention here (and also to comment on, which I did over on his blog site). It contains a series of letters to the editor of his local newspaper (one of the letter-writers is his wife, Beth). Please follow the link and read the letters. Which one do you agree with?two people in one

If human life begins at conception, what about twinning, chimeras and menses?

2008-02-24T15:09:00.007-05:00

Came across a Web site called Father Joe: From silly to sacred, a priest speaks … Here's an excerpt from one of his posts:OBAMA: “The issue of abortion, I don’t think, has gone away. People think about it a lot, obviously you do and you feel impassioned. I think that the American people struggle with two principles: There’s the principle that a fetus is not just an appendage, it’s potential life

Embryonic Stem Cells Help Rats Recover from Strokes

2008-02-24T14:49:00.003-05:00

ScienceDaily (Feb. 20, 2008:Neural cells derived from human embryonic stem cells helped repair stroke-related damage in the brains of rats and led to improvements in their physical abilities after a stroke, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.This study marks the first time researchers have used human embryonic stem cells to generate neural cells

Now Here's a Debate on the Beginning of Human Life

2008-02-17T13:29:00.004-05:00

Here's more from William Saletan, who, in last Sunday's New York Times, reviewed a new book called Embryo: A Defense of Human Life. In Wednesday's Slate, he returns to the subject:Are embryos morally equal to people? I say no. Robert George, a member of President Bush's bioethics council, and his colleague Christopher Tollefsen say yes. In their new book, Embryo: A Defense of Human Life, George

Does the Anti-Choice Movement Exploit Bad Science?

2008-02-13T19:42:00.003-05:00

The following is excerpted from a blog post at Petunia's.Well, then. I was getting ready to post about this article on embryonic research and I noticed that it went well with this post Amanda at Pandagon put up a bit ago. Nice timing. Anyway, the article notes the attempt to define the beginning of human life as contraception using science: “To be a complete human organism,” they write, “an

BOOK REVIEW-- Embryo: A Defense of Human Life

2008-02-10T17:24:00.000-05:00

From The New York Times By WILLIAM SALETAN Published: February 10, 2008Thirty-five years after Roe v. Wade, the pro-life movement faces a new challenge: biotechnology. The first human biotech issue, embryonic stem-cell research, looks like an easy call. Stem cells could save millions of lives. And the entity we currently sacrifice to get them — a sacrifice that may soon be unnecessary — is a

What Does Mitt Romney Really Think?

2008-02-06T19:53:00.000-05:00

I had no sooner posted my previous entry than I came across this: A Report on the Pro-life Views of Governor Mitt Romney. Mass Resistance, a self-described "pro-family action center for Massachusetts" is urging its members not to vote for Romney. Now this is rather unsettling for me, since I just posted an entry listing reasons I wouldn't vote for him, and I now find myself aligned with a very

Different Perspectives on Values

2008-02-06T19:37:00.000-05:00

Although I'm quite sure this is NOT the reason Jon Colton posted the following list on the "Californians for Mitt Romney" Web site, it sure points out many reasons I would never vote for Romney. (Actually the 3rd and 5th points are reason enough to make it to this site.)• Governor Romney Vetoed Legislation That Would Have Provided For The "Morning After Pill" Without A Prescription. (Governor