Not Final...

[coalescent]

But still disappointing: The EU votes to restrict stem cell research.

I've never really understood how anyone with a reasonable understanding of biology and reproduction can in all seriousness claim that a ball of cells should be treated as equivalent to a human being, with all the attendant rights and privileges. The logic of the position just eludes me. Yes, that ball of cells certainly has the potential to be a human...if nurtured in certain very specific circumstances for nine months. This is surely not a sound basis for asserting equivalence - and certainly not a sound basis for blocking a science with as much to offer as stem cell research.

Comments

No argument from me, but I would add...

[applez.livejournal.com]

Just the sort of thing one should expect when things grow so ideological and politicised.

example: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/04/10/sports1127EDT0297.DTL

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Generally, I heartily approve of the 'bio-ethics' review process, to bind scientific research to political, social and ethical concerns (as much as financial, legal, or other considerations for a major research endeavour) - however, I think it's very poor to override any one of them completely, to jettison rational debate, or to simply ignore sound cost-benefit/risk-benefit analysis.

Logical argument

[greengolux.livejournal.com]

The logic of the position just eludes me. Yes, that ball of cells certainly has the potential to be a human...

Yes, exactly. It's true that all human beings were once just a bunch of cells, but that certainly doesn't entail that all bunches of cells are human beings. Any argument that says so is fallacious.

You have logic behind you, my friend.

(Though I'm sure they can rephrase their argument so that it isn't fallacious any more, but merely wishy-washy.)