A closer look at that stem cell order
….and the reporting on it. It’s all so Orwellian.
This Reuters article is just one random example of the general tenor or news coverage on President Obama’s executive order yesterday to expand embryo destructive research for unsuccessful stem cell applications. But they didn’t put it quite that way…
President Barack Obama lifted restrictions on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research on Monday, angering abortion opponents but cheering those who believe the study could produce treatments for many diseases.
Pause and look at the language here. This is how the media form public opinion, which Walter Lippman wrote about so incisively in his compelling book Public Opinion. Obama “lifted restrictions”, which of course sounds freeing, doesn’t it? And “angering abortion opponents” immediately calls to mind the negative image of angry people who oppose instead of support something, never mind that something is abortion which ends human life. Furthermore, we have the positive mental image of “cheering” people who believe “the study could produce treatments for many diseases”. Sounds hopeful, right? Intentionally.
That’s a generalization the press and politicians keep using to sway thought and policy. The “study” means the production of human life in early embryonic form in order to harvest cells and end that human life to work on all sorts of ways to treat diseases, none of which have yet yielded any success, which of couse isn’t mentioned.
Back to the story…
“We will lift the ban on federal funding for promising embryonic stem cell research,” Obama said to vigorous applause at a White House gathering.
“We will also vigorously support scientists who pursue this research. And we will aim for America to lead the world in the discoveries it one day may yield.”
That’s all rather lofty, multiple uses of the cheery word “vigorous”, the “promising” research, the goal of pioneering the way into the brave new world…so to speak…
What happened next explains a lot.
Shares of companies specializing in stem cell research burst upward on the news, with Geron Corp up by as much as much as 35 percent and StemCells Inc up 73 percent at one point. Other related company shares rose, too.
The bio-tech industry has a huge stake in this specific research, and profiteers stand to make a ton of money.
Of course this is important to get in there, as all the news stories did…
The decision was a clear repudiation of the approach taken by Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush. U.S. law limits the use of federal money to make human stem cells,
(they finally slipped and admitted this is dealing with making humans to get their stem cells)
but Bush tightened the restrictions even further to include work using such cells.
Why? Here’s how you’re hearing it reported:
Bush’s decision prompted charges that he was basing his decision on politics and religion rather than science. Religious conservatives who supported Bush generally opposed embryonic stem cell research because it involves destruction of embryos, which they view as human life.
Which they view as human life?
Obama rejected that view.
It’s not a view. And his rejection of the facts of life is absolutely chilling, given that it’s now his pay grade to make these decisions.
