Is the abortion issue similar to the stem cell issue?

[napi21]

I understand stem cell research is legal, and the fight is over federal funding for embryoinc research.

Are the opposers to abortion fighting to have abortions made completely illegal, or just to stop any govvernment funding?

(edited for spelling, sorry.)

[dedhed]

1. Abortion opponents want it complete illegal.

Preferably, at the federal level.

By the way, didn't Bush, Inc. already stop federal funding towards abortions back in January '01?

:bounce:

[dedhed]

2. Nevermind...

I was thinking of the so-called "Mexico City" policy.

:bounce:

[lapfog_1]

3. The funding issue for stem cell

is a complete red herring.

The RW talking heads like to say is "well look, all we are doing
is not funding stem cell research, if private companies want to
fund it, they can go right ahead". But the problem is a lot
trickier than that. Drug companies have very little interest in
stem cell research for a multitude of reasons: it's a long term
payoff (5 years, 10 years off), it's risky (nobody knows if it will
ever work), and, most importantly, it may put them out of business.
If stem cell treatments work then when you are diagnosed with XXX,
you go to the doctors, you have 1 or possibly a few, treatments,
and you are cured. No ongoing drug or treatment sales.
As for research institutes and university programs, they depend
heavily on federal funds (I should know, giving out grant money
is what I used to do for the federal government), and, I'm guessing,
that if ANY part of the research institute receives federal support,
then stem cell research is off limits (except for the "approved"
lines... which have mostly played out now, BTW). So the basic
research programs (long term research in the US has ALWAYS been
federally funded, even when carried out by private institutions)
are screwed when it comes to doing stem cell.

As for abortion, the fundies simply want to outlaw it completely.
I'm guessing that eventually, they want to outlaw all stem cell
research as well.

If they had their way, a woman of child bearing years that either
smokes or drinks while sexually active may face murder charges if
it can be proven that she miscarried, even in the first WEEK of
pregnancy ( failure to implant zygote in the uterus ).

[Ducks In A Row]

4. anti-abortion types want to force all women to breed

regardless of the woman's health or desire, or lack of, for children. For those people women are worthless unless those women are breeding more cannon fodder.

Stem cells are science, and anti-abortion types hate science. Science made birth control pills and so it's all evil