Opinion
The Battalion
Page 5 • Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Selling stem cell research
'eath of former President Reagan should encourage efforts to use stem cells
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Sgled co-
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onsor.
ly denie!
ssistanti-B^y n religion and politics,”
the ass,;| I Mark Twain once said,
'nceasfelj J^'People's beliefs and
!l y '' cinvictions are in almost every
U P toco-Mse gotten at secondhand, and
his amtBthout examination." In the
k some; Jeek following the national
from ftBouming of former President
h r ee-ye; R 0 nald Reagan’s death, his bat-
leal t tk: with Alzheimer’s should spur
re i the nation to examine a topic
C6 as W a t deals with religion and poli-
s tearr tics — stem cell research.
1 timeH stem cells are set apart when com-
p; ed to other human cells in that they
have the ability to produce cells for any
body tissue or organs, and can copy
’ ' r themselves indefinitely. Scientists
believe they could someday be used to
treat or cure diseases and repair the
dy, including Alzheimer’s — a disease
tlat causes memory loss, confusion,
bod changes, hallucinations and
eech problems.
While it seems obvious that such “mir-
le cells” should be studied intensely,
jere’s a speed bump involved — to
(search stem cells, they must first be
■traded from early human embryos,
■licit destroy these embryos in the
process. As such, many believe that cross-
e| a moral boundary due to their beliefs
on abortion.
I Unfortunately, when the issue came up
authe White House a few years ago. Bush
avoided taking a clear stand on the moral
ity of such research and instead compro-
Bflmsed by limiting federal funding for it in
^^ngust 200
I Despite whatever politicking Bush has
J ' ' engaged in on the subject, as president
\ he must take an uncompromising stand
1 “ on the issue and he must recognize that
government has no right to interfere
in scientific progress when it comes to
the ' stem cells.
h 4fl The embryos used in this study are
only a few days old and exist’merely as a
1 c clump of cells. These embryos are donat
ed to scientists by couples who
undergo prenatal genetic screen
ing and deem them to be geneti
cally defective for use in artifi
cial insemination. Ordinarily
they would be discarded, yet no
one hears complaints about this.
Only when scientists wish to
extract stem cells before their
destruction do some Americans
cry murder.
There is, however, no rational
explanation for this distinction. While an
embryo has the potential to become a
human being given specific circum
stances, a chunk of iron on a mine floor
could also at some point become an auto
mobile. Potential and reality are two sepa
rate things.
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... the government has
no right to interfere with
scientific progress when it
comes to stem cells.
However, many opponents of stem
cell research do not accept this argument,
claiming that the extraction process is an
act of murder regardless of the embryo’s
lack of development. They often call
upon religious beliefs, citing text from
the Bible in Jeremiah 1:5 that God said,
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew
thee.” These opponents, rejecting the
possibility that the passage merely refers
to the religious notion of an omniscient
deity, is taken literally and assumes that
human life exists in the womb even
before the fetus is formed. Yet such an
assertion is ridiculous — accepting this
belief would lead one to cry murder at
any instance in which the initiation of the
sexual act is blocked because it may have
led to conception of human life.
Suddenly “Not tonight, 1 have a
headache” would become not a frustra
tion but a sin.
Even this argument is moot,
however — an act deemed to be a
sin because of personal religious
beliefs, be it by an individual or
millions of people, does not make
it truth. Further, even if it is
held to be an official sin by
an official church, it does
not make it a crime under
objective law. The American
government does not have the
right to legislate morality.
Certainly, if it could be concretely
proven that a three-day-old fetus is a man
with all the rights due him, stem-cell
research would be illegal and immoral.
However, no such objective statement can
be made.
In the absence of such proof, the gov
ernment cannot defer to the beliefs of any
minority or majority. Further, it should
never make such an unreasonable mistake
in a case when doing so stands in the way
of research that could prolong and enrich
human life.
Though Nancy Reagan has been call
ing for a review to this decision for
years, recently hundreds of Congress
members are publicly backing Mrs.
Reagan’s call. The idea that such a great
leader as Reagan spent his final years
without even remembering his presiden
cy is tragic, and no less so for anyone
else struggling with his disease. Though
science will one day cure it, these restric
tions are needlessly holding that day
back. Bush’s restrictions must be lifted
immediately.
Mike Walters is a senior
psychology major.
Graphic by Grade Arenas
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Giving the Iraqis what they want
Saddam must be handed over to Iraqi government with June 30 transfer of power
s the June 30 deadline for the
transfer of power in Iraq looms
dangerously close and the sta-
ility of an Iraqi government seems
ke a fantasy, there may be one oppor-
nity to allow an interim regime to
stablish itself as a legitimate force
ith the Iraqi people.
That opportunity is a trial of
addam Hussein on the Iraqi people’s
wn terms. The United States should
and Saddam over on the 30th with
lie keys to Baghdad and let the new Iraqi gov-
Jrninent pass its first test.
But currently, America is taking all the heat
ir holding Saddam and looks like it is waffling
n its pledge to give him to Iraqi authorities for
trial. According to an article from the BBC,
^^■resident Bush has stated that Saddam will not
e handed over until “appropriate security” is in
|lace first.
If that is going to be the standard required
)r a transfer, then it may be a long time until
"aq will be ready to take him. And the longer
merica holds him after June 30, the more heat
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will come from international groups
like the Red Cross and Iraqis who
want a stab at justice or revenge
regarding Saddam.
The Red Cross has stated that since
the United States had designated
Saddam a POW, he
could not be held once
hostilities were over.
david Although there are still
SHOEMAKER hostilities ongoing in
Iraq, they are no longer
from Saddam’s government, but
from nihilist Baathists and fanati
cal Islamists who only wish to
see the new Iraqi regime and the
United States fail.
So the simplest way out of this
brewing mess is to turn Saddam
over to the Iraqis with the auton-
omy. Although there may be
security issues with an escape by Saddam, there
are also reasons mitigating against his escape.
There are lots of people in Iraq who would
like to see Saddam dead. Islamists who fight
So the simplest
way out of this
brewing mess is to
turn Saddam over
to the Iraqis with
the autonomy.
alongside Baathists against U.S. infantry would
probably have no qualms about killing Saddam
if he came across their path, and he did things to
plenty of average Iraqis to make them angry
enough to kill him as well. Saddam may have
been hiding in his hole as much from his own
people as from U.S. troops hunt
ing him.
So if he wants to live,
Saddam’s best chance, although
it is still very slim, would be to
hope an Iraqi court would not
sentence him to death for his
crimes. And he has committed
many crimes that will be very
easily tied to him. According to
the BBC, he could be tried for
a number of activities, from
using poison gas on Kurds to
starting two wars which his
country has lost.
But the key thing is that the Iraqi govern
ment will be the one trying Saddam, and it
would like to do so as soon as possible. It
would be a huge boon to its legitimacy. It could
pass judgment on Saddam in a way that fits
with the desires of those banned the most by
his tyranny-the Iraqi people.
The new Iraqi government could finally close
the book on a Baathist/Saddam return by making
him a criminal enemy of the new republic. The
government could also prove that it stands for
the Iraqi people in a most basic fashion, by rid
ding them of a man who dominated and ruined
their country for over 20 years. The government
would also be able to garner support from
beyond the United States for prosecuting
Saddam as well.
Bush should not deny the new Iraqi govern
ment the opportunity to test its mettle by trying
Saddam. In fact, by failing to aid them in that
effort by handing over Saddam on June 30, the
United States may be dooming the new regime
to eventual failure.
David Shoemaker is a senior
management major.
MAIL CALL
roups other than YCT
so using shock value
In
Ram<%o/i
response to Nicholas Davis’ June 10
umn:
)S P a ‘to
4-2 ° f on
ad
|n today's culture, shock value is needed
get points across. It is used commonly
this campus from as high up as the
ministration, to any number of student
i ¥ organizations.
f closf YCT is not the only organization on cam-
ew h pus that utilizes shock value regularly. For
the past three years, the V-Day group has
decH 1 offered such great games as "Pin the
loss 1 (lit," "Dress Your Own Vagina" and "Best
befo [t M<ian" in addition to the performance of
truf^Vagina Monologues in the middle of
February. There is GLBTA & Allies that
jd'hc >t "Coming Out" Week and there is that
aiisU anti-abortion group that displays pictures
ag#|f aborted fetuses for everyone to see.
lichaf Every time I walk across campus and see
ne #all that stuff, it shocks me.
So Mr. Davis, next time you write about
shock value and who uses it, perhaps you
should be more "diverse" and include
other organizations that strive to make us
aware of what they think is "right."
I am thankful that we have organiza
tions like YCT on this campus that try and
keep us from going "amok," and if it takes
the shock value to do it, then so be it.
Everyone else is doing it.
Eric Brown
Class of 2004
Food Services’ options
in summer too limited
Food Services is attempting to balance
its budget at the expense of the health of
the students. They have chosen to provide
a healthy, well-balanced meal containing
vegetables and healthy drink options at
only one meal - lunch — at the Commons
Dining Center. Those who live on campus
and are unable, due to class or work
schedules, to go to the Commons for
lunch, are forced to eat either high-fat,
greasy food, or sandwiches for lunch and
supper. This lack of variety is redundant at
best and nauseating when repeated for
several weeks. Such a repetitive diet,
which lacks both healthy beverages such
as milk or fruit juice and any vegetables,
cannot be healthy.
On the weekend, the situation is even
more appalling. No breakfast is available,
on the only days when some students have
the time to eat breakfast, and the only
options for lunch are an unhealthy selection
of fried foods found at the Golf Course
Snack Bar or an overpriced, high-sodium,
often high-fat "meal" from one of the con
venience stores. The options for dinner are
not much better. Instead of the fatty options
found at the Golf Course Snack Bar, one has
the choice of the fatty options found at
Stone Willie's Pizza in the Commons.
This lack of regard for the sensibilities
and health of the students is disgusting
and unjust. We pay a significant fee in
exchange for healthy food and conven
ience. This summer, Food Services is pro
viding neither. This lack of concern is
offensive to those of us for whom the cost
of meals represents a substantial portion
of our income. While I understand the
financial implications of providing food, I
feel that a food services department at a
first-class university should behave more
responsibly with regard to the health and
needs of its patrons.
Anne Price
Class of 2003