Reply #1: Indeed . . .

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Indeed. Under Massachusetts House Speaker DiMasi and Massachusetts Senate President Travaglini, our Massachusetts legislature moves the Baystate into bio-medical scientific research of the 21st century, and away from rightwing religion-into-law politics (of Governor Mitt Romney (a Mormon), fundamentalists, and the Roman Catholic Church).

What's at issue is the potential medical cures of debilitating diseases such as spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, stroke, burns, heart disease, Type 1 (“insulin-dependent”) diabetes, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, muscular dystrophies and some liver and sight-loss diseases!

The legislature's vote is more than 2/3rds needed to over-come the promised Governor Mitt Romney veto.

This new Massachusetts law will allow restricted stem cell research to occur in Massachusetts.

One of the heated controversies of stem cell research is cloning. Cloning is where the religion-into-law rightwingers talk in circles of ambiguities, stir emotions, and thereby cloud rational thought. No one is a winner when clouds of smoke fail to clarify what's at issue.

However, therapeutic cloning is necessary in order to prevent rejection by the recipient of the end product-medicine. Therapeutic cloning contains the DNA of the recipient; therefore, not the rejection of another's DNA product. Presently, non-human DNA products (mouse products) are being used which may have unintended results to the recipient of the end product-medicine.

This law will allow therapeutic stem cell cloning research. On the other hand, this law PROHIBITS reproduction stem cell cloning research. To achieve this restriction, the new law prohibits any and all researched-stem-cell-blastocyst from being implanted into the uterus of a woman, where, as we all know, human growth must occur to develop the various stages of fetal growth to the birth of a viable human being.

What is Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT)?
What is Therapeutic Cloning?
What is Reproductive Cloning?

"Cloning is the creation of multiple copies of a single molecule, cell, or virus. There are many different kinds of cloning, most of which are now commonplace in science. Cloning has allowed scientists to develop powerful new drugs and to produce insulin and useful bacteria in the lab. It also allows researchers to track the origins of biological weapons, catch criminals and free innocent people, and produce new plants and livestock to feed an undernourished world population.

"Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) or therapeutic cloning involves removing the nucleus of an unfertilized egg cell, replacing it with the material from the nucleus of a "somatic cell" (a skin, heart, or nerve cell, for example), and stimulating this cell to begin dividing. Once the cell begins dividing, stem cells can be extracted 5-6 days later and used for research. The AAMC supports on-going research into SCNT and has endorsed legislation that would allow such research to flourish.

"Reproductive cloning, on the other hand, is intended to create human beings by cloning human embryos. The AAMC and the National Academy of Sciences recommends a legally enforceable ban on all forms of this type of cloning."

http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/library/research/res0003.htm
(Association of American Medical Colleges)

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Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (therapeutic cloning):


this graphic portrays therapeutic cloning for diabetes intervention

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See also: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/03/31/house_debates_stem_cell_research_bill/
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