| In reference to "Cloning: Where Do You Draw the Line?," August 13, 2001:
I used to work at the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) where research has occurred using stem-cells (I was not in the stem-cell research department). The researchers at EVMS are in no stretch of the imagination freakish embryo farmers as they may be portrayed by congressmen, religious zealots, and others who refuse to understand the value of the research being done. It has the potential of offering answers to complex medical questions that have eluded humans for eons; it may also go nowhere. Congress does not (or at least should not) have the right to limit this type research nor prevent people from donating cells for this purpose. It is as simple as that. Those who do not agree with the research should not donate. A consenting woman and a consenting man must have the right to provide egg and sperm cells for the purpose of research. Instead of getting caught up in the rhetoric of zealots, we should question excessive government interference into our lives. Dave Weldon's bill to provide hefty jail time and fines to scientists who clone is absolutely ridiculous. If we allow cloning of the embryos then the need for donations does not exist. Bottom line is, if your baby, mother, brother has a terminal illness for which the cure is found through embryonic stem-cell research and you do not support the research, then do not accept the cure � do not participate. But, do not stop the research from moving forward. The United States should lead the world in this research, not be left behind with our heads in the sand. |