As someone with a disease which has no cure (Lupus) who comes into contact with people with similar diseases a lot, I find the loud proclamations against Stem Cell research painful to hear. For some of us the only hope of a cure (as opposed to a possible remission) is at this stage largely dependent on the research that they are hoping will come out of the Stem Cell Technology.

Can you imagine how painful it is for people who are in constant pain & have a possible short life expectancy, who are hoping and praying for the outcomes from Stem Cell Research, to hear “well meaning” loud mouthed Christians in the media who are simply after a sound bite, tell how the research that might in the long run save their life, or give them better quality of life is “unchristian”.

All my “chaplaincy” work with these people becomes very interesting when they hear these people on the tv and radio.

Add to this a husband who is a bioethicist, who tells me that the position held by most of these “Christian” people doesn’t make sense either scientifically, or logically – it makes me cranky that they get so much TV & radio time.

I find that the same people who hold the anti-christian view of stem cell research, also held an anti-christian view of the safe injecting rooms (both issues feature prominantly in the bible – not).

I don’t believe that we should do ANYTHING in science just simply because it is possible. We can set limits, we can have controls. When so many people’s lives (and their families) could be changed by some break through in medical research, it is disgusting to me that the sound bite has won over logical argument and compassion.

If I have offended anyone, sorry, I’m a bit cranky about this one (can you tell).

N