Dear Friends, I am certain you have heard alot about this topic in the media. I wish to hear the many 'pros' and 'cons'

As a medical practitioner, I'm aware this is a topic that splits my peers as quickly as the termination issue.

Personally I really see the good in this research, however I do not agree with birthing a child to be 'used for spare parts' in genetic illness cases. Even though they have managed to use this research to replicate certain parts alone or on a host, I think it does hold the key to many illness' and conditions.

Scientists are presently studying the effects of re-fusing some bone injuries in rodents with very promising results, aswell as 'growing' a ear on the back of a mouse. I know this all sounds very obscene and frankensteinish, but at the end of the day, if your relative had a near fatal accident or paralysis, wouldn't it be nice to know that modern science could rectify some of the phyical damage?

But I also believe that this is not regulated in the correct fashion. I think that we have to be VERY careful when tampering with some aspects of Dna and preventative therapys in respect to genealogical illness.

I am very AGAISNT 'designer babies' though, and this kind of reserch all goes hand in hand. I would never even want the power to tell a mother carrying multiple pregnancy that one of her children isn't a little girl or boy, or that it doesnt have the blonde hair she wants it to so badly, or whatever else. If there is a biological problem with a baby, then in most cases its good we can know early (Like they do nower days with conditions like downs syndrome) then this empowers the carrier.

But I have very strong feelings in some issues and a very strong scense of being responcible and doing the right thing.

Sadly in some issues I can not divorce my personal feelings from the making a objective decision, thankfully in those hot issues the goverment allows you to either take part in those decisions or not be part of those decisions (Like terminations which take two doctors signatures), I would not think twice if there was a serious reason or if the life of the mother were compromised, but I could never bring myself to effectively sign the death warrent of a perfectly healthy baby just because the 'parents' were drunk, wreckless or just too lazy to use protection. However, in the line of work you do even find the cases inbetween, like children born of rape or incest, these cases do merit special consideration...but its never easy.

So bacially I spend my whole time worrying over the living, the dead and the unborn. Its very difficult. So when people talk about stem cell reserch, please always try to consider the facts, the possible good, the possible abuse.

We should all just push for it to be regulated decently, so that medical advancements could be used for the greater good.

Your thoughts, please.

Lazarius