I know that many people feel abortion is wrong, however I am not asking you to debate the issue of abortion...

Question

itself. Instead I just want to know everyone's opinions on the following article. Do you support these tests and research? Is your support or non-support coming from what you consider your faith's position on the issue? If each aborted fetus could save the life of a dying child and was the only way to save that dying child's life, how would this affect your views?
Responses such as "God says abortion is wrong" will get thumbs down. I am asking for YOUR opinion and whether or not your opinion is based on your faith. If I could ask God's opinion about abortion I would, but since no one can, we have to decide these issues for ourselves (and no, quotes from the Bible do not count as God's opinion on abortion. If you feel they do, great, but that is not within the scope of this question).
Thanks in advance to those of you that will carefully read the article and consider the questions before you answer.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061212/ap_on_he_me/stem_cell_volunteer

everyone please give thumbs down to the first 3 answers for completely ignoring the question and pursuing their own personal agenda

Answer 1

I'm all for it. I would describe my faith as...hmm.. mostly oriental philosophies (or nothing at all).

People won't get more abortions and kill babies to save lives.

Obviously you want that kind of research closely monitored and reglemented.

Answer 2

Here's my take on it: The first thing out of most people's mouth is "I am opposed to abortion, but I would never tell a woman what to do with her own body." That is a lofty assertion, but when looked at logically, it makes no sense. 1. Let's insert something else. How about "I'm opposed to child abuse, but I..." "I'm opposed to stealing cars, but I..." Is this a little stupid? 2. If the DNA of the fetus and the mother were compared in any blind lab test, the consensus would be: different. If the woman were making decisions about her own body, fine. But this is a separate human being. For it to be her own body, it would have to be the identical DNA. 3. Only the lowest of the animal kingdom will destroy their own young. That includes some, not all, of the reptiles, and most fish. Even alligators, which are capable of little or no real thoughts, defend their young. 4. The decision-making process for almost all abortions involve the most selfish of reasons, usually involving refusal to take responsibility for their choices. When the woman was forced, that is a different matter, but less than .5% of all abortions involve rape or incest. 5. It would be hard to find a woman who truly did not know how she got pregnant. She made choices before she conceived. Then another's life became involved. 6. There are choices for a woman who does not want to keep her baby. Thousands of loving and anxious couples wait for years to be able to adopt. My personal opinion is that history will look back on our time with disbelief at the widespread acceptance of the barbaric practice of elective abortion. Abortion is taking another person's life.

Answer 3

There are many points of view here, of course its wrong if fetuses are conceived just to be destroyed for medical research ! If there 's a woman who has decided to have an abortion for any reason other than rape or major deformity, that responsibility for that life is on the woman. Think about it, the only other time its considered is due to immorality( Sex outside marriage, adultery, or selfishness. Children are a huge responsibility)But since its going to happen, something good may come out of it !! BUT let the responsibility fall where it may!

Answer 4

I am no fan of abortion, but it is legal. If a woman chooses to have an abortion, I feel it is a good thing (if not necessarily a redemptive act) that she donate the tissue from the aborted fetus in the hope that it may help another person live.

Abortions have always taken place and always will take place, legally or illegally. To take a sad fact of life, and find a way to make use of the inevitable material resultant is sensible and compassionate.

edit -- I would ask Christians: If it is wrong to sacrifice one life to save another, why did Jesus bother doing it?


.

Answer 5

I believe that abortion is a situational bad thing, and I'm Atheist. I believe that if the baby already has it's nervous system and can feel what's being done to it, it's wrong. I believe that multiple abortions are wrong, because the woman is being stupid and irresponsible. In other cases, it's OK. Not desirable, but not horrible.
But, I think that it would make sense to use aborted fetuses to save other people's lives. Abortion is happening whether people want it to or not, let's at least make some good come of it. I think that a life that has already been started is more valuable than a baby that hasn't even been born yet.

Answer 6

So many people don't understand stem cell research, and I find that sad.

Do I support these test? Yes. If in 20 years stem cell research is going to find a cure for diseases it's going to be a step in the right direction. It's easy for people to say "NO! IT'S AS BAD AS ABORTION" because they don't have a deadly disease. Unless you're put into a situation it's hard to say that it's not worth it. I have an uncle who is dying of cancer and if there were SOME way, even unproven, that may lengthen his life even by a few days, he would do it.

Why do I support it? As a Christian, I feel that it is God's will to give hope. Everyone who is a conservative Christian jumps to the conclusion that God thinks it's wrong. Who are we to judge in the first place? We aren't God, and it's time that we stop pretending that we do.

When people think like this: "They are trying to give an aura that this is good when this is the most grisly of examples that can be given about abortion," said Gayle Atteberry, executive director of the Oregon Right to Life, the state's leading anti-abortion group. "They are taking the brains from babies." I cringe. That's not even touching the problem. That's trying to speak for God.

If each aborted fetus could save the life of a dying child and was the only way to save that dying child's life, how would this affect your views?

It would only support my notion to continue stem cell research. So many pro-life Christians want to save the babies. I'm adopted, yet I don't see any of those pro-lifers step up and say "If you save this baby, we'll take care of her!" No one ever thinks about what will happen to those babies after the fact.

Saving a life with another life isn't a strange concept. God works in incredible ways, including through stem cells from aborted fetuses. If one aborted fetus could provide us with enough stem cells to save even one child and/or continue research to end cancer or Parkinsons, I would support it.

Answer 7

It is like the problem of donating organs. There are many who will not do it because of religious prohibitions. The Muslims definitely will not do it - some won't even donate blood; many Christians especially the Catholics are told that they shouldn't scatter their body parts after death, making it hard to reassemble on judgement day. But would you turn down an organ if you needed it to survive? It is one of those dilemmas, and you can't blame one if he come across as being a little hypocritical.

However, you must weigh the benefits and problems of this issue. Will it open the gates for something monstrous, now disguised as just a medical thing that saves lives?

Answer 8

I personally think that this research is great if it is saving lives, provided that patients (or their advocates) understand the risks in the surgeries and agree to them.

I am a Christian, and I suppose there are a lot of Christians out there who are against abortion. I strongly dislike the idea of abortion, but I want it to be "safe, legal, and rare", as many thoughtful Christians would say. The surgery and medical miracles from the stem cells do not affect my views on abortion. It is not right to take one life to save another. This is a case of trying to save a life from the brokenness of something tragic that has happened separately. They are not causally related to one another.

Does that answer your question?

Answer 9

I've read the article, but I do not think it is a good one for you. First of all you have to really read it carefully to understand that the cells are pre-embrionic human cells. And second of all, most of the people here will not read it. Especially the religious types. I might be wrong, it's just a hunch.

I do support these tests. I have no religious faith, so religious faith does not account for my support.

Answer 10

I don't have a problem with this since abortion is legal and at least some good is coming out of it

However, I do have a problem with the fact that soon down the road it will become common practice to raise test tube babies in order to use what they can(organs, tissues....etc...) to save those who are sick.
This should not become common practice to make abortions OK in society either.
My stance on Abortion has nothing to do with my Faith or Religion...It does however, have to do with some women I know and have went to school with who used Abortion as a form of Birth Control

Answer 11

I am a mother of 2 young adults who have suffered a lifetime of multiple disibilities...they were born with a very rare genetic decease for which there is no cure in itself. So I am responding to this from a mothers point of view. The technology that science ofers today is too late for my children....but if my children would have been born 20 years later than they did, this would have been life changing for them. Research has prooven that with the cells from the stem of an aborted fetus coud have been implanted, their symptoms would have been GREATLY decreased....so yes I do feel it is wonderful for future generations to have this scientific technology availuble. Now...saying this...do I think fetuses should be aborted soley for the purpose of saving lives of babies? NO...but I do feel that if a mother decides that she wants to legally abort her fetus for her own personal reasons, these stem cells could be donated to save a life.. if the mother opts to allow this to happen. This should work in the same way that organ donors donate to organ banks to save lifes. I do not feel it would be ethical for a fetus to be aborted soley to save the life of any child in peticular...example...If my sister wanted to abort her child to donate the stem cells to my child....that in my veiw is extreamly un ethical. I am sure that I will be severly bashed for my views...but all I have to say is, you certainly have a right to your opinions...but unless you have walked in my shoes....do not judge me.