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Published: July 31, 2009
Teaching Kids to Kill Embryos
A New Generation of Stem Cell Workers
“No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!” —President Ronald Reagan
Life Legal Defense Foundation continues to watchdog the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and in doing so found the latest attempt to promulgate embryonic stem cell research by “educating” children.
Let us introduce you to Senate Bill 471. Titled “The California Stem Cell and Biotechnology Education and Workforce Development Act of 2009,” the purpose of SB 471 is purportedly to train up a new generation of biotechnology workers. It promotes stronger links among industry sectors, the regenerative medicine institute, and California public schools.
At the time this story was written SB 471 sits in the Assembly appropriations committee. The following is a summary of what SB 471 will invoke should it become law.
 SB 471 would amend the California education code to require the state department of education, in consultation with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and representatives of the biotechnology industry, to promote stem cell and biotechnology education and workforce development in existing programs. To this end, the act encourages collaboration between education policymakers, public agencies and industry organizations.
The state department of education is to promote stem cell and biotechnology education and workforce development in and through all of the following:
— The K-12 High Speed Network, including its academic platform
— The California Career Resource Network
— Regional science resource centers
— The California Partnership Academies
— The Health Science Capacity Building Project
— The California Health Science Educators Institute
The department of education is to post on its website information on biotechnology education programs, the reproductive medicine institute education initiatives, and related stem cell education and workforce development programs.
The department of education is to incorporate stem cell science curriculum content into the science curriculum framework, evaluation criteria, and instructional materials at its next revision and adoption.
The regents of the University of California, the biotechnology industry, and the institute are requested to develop curriculum for the California state summer school for mathematics and science. The Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (the governing body of the institute) is requested, when allocating funds, to consider education and workforce development.
Although education in and of itself is good, any education that came through the reproductive medicine institute would have an unfortunate bias in favor of embryonic stem cell research over the proven success of adult stem cell research based on the fact that California Institute for Reproductive Medicine is almost exclusively focused on increasing embryonic stem cell research.
Posted Friday, July 31, 2009 12:08 AM By Central Valley
HOME SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where is the voice of the California bishops? The bishops are silent during elections years and now here we are at the state and federal level with some of the most vicious attacks on human life.
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Posted Friday, July 31, 2009 12:47 AM By Carrie
The article first talks about the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. That's a real outfit. But at the end, the article talks about the California Institute for Reproductive Medicine. Never heard of it.
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Posted Friday, July 31, 2009 7:11 AM By MarkF
The current pope has talked about love without truth. This is science without truth. There's also an element of love without truth there too, in that out of misguided compassion for childless couples, they turn to such soulless science.
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Posted Friday, July 31, 2009 7:48 AM By The original Frank
Twelve freshly aborted babies were brought into the Mid-Cal High School Biology lab, each ice-packed in its own 4 liter Styrofoam box. Mr. Smashum's voice boomed sternly over the gossiping teenagers: "Now everyone settle down! Today we'll learn primary dissection of the fetal matter followed by identification and micropipette extraction of surviving stem cells. We have to work quickly before cell death overtakes our samples. Your work will be graded on the number of surviving cells properly isolated in sterile culture dishes." Mary Lou could not resist slightly lifting the top off the box in front of her and peering at the tiny motionless form inside. Then she cast a sidelong glance at Billy, his chest puffed up and ego bloated with manly pride, having bragged to the other boys around him about his "contribution to Science." Though Mary Lou and Billy both knew one of the samples came from her womb, it was she who bore the entire emotional burden and all the physical pain of that fact,... --||-- Is this how am I intended to understand the story's headline? That opening paragraph is an example of "Social Science Fiction" (see Wikipedia for explanation) and it has nothing to do with facts or with SB 417. In the real world (where we live), teenagers won't dissect babies, stem cell technology has no ultimate reason to prefer embryonic cell experience over adult cell experience, and editorial fear-mongering is as reprehensible as shouting "fire!" in a crowded theater.
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Posted Friday, July 31, 2009 8:07 AM By Michael
As a long-time science educator in California's public system, mostly college level but with several years at th high school level, I've certainly experienced the relentless pressure from the political left. I'm retired from that now, but changing the state framework might very well put me in a position where I would have to choose between my career and remaining true to the teachings of my church. I know how I would have to decide, despite hardship for myself and my family.
This legislation would certainly drive many Catholics, other Christians, as well as others with similar values and beliefs to leave their profession. It would also lead some to make the choice of their career and income over their religious values.
In this day of high unemployment, this intrusion into the free exercise of religion is nothing short of extreme and extremely dangerous. This is a huge step in driving those with traditional values out of positions where they could influence the nature of the society in which we all must live.
I pray that the response will be such that this legislation cannot be implemented.
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Posted Friday, July 31, 2009 12:32 PM By JLS
ToF, your rhetoric condemns your own expressed sense of reality. You keep talking about reality, but randomly exclude various factors from it such as thought and imagination. That is what the Marxist ideology does ... and this is why your rhetoric sounds not only hollow when you claim that it is Catholic, but makes you sound like a dissinformation specialist from Planned Parenthood.
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Posted Friday, July 31, 2009 2:21 PM By The original Frank
Actually, JLS, I'm suprised you think my last post wasn't imaginative.
I might have expected you to complain that I have too much "thought and imagination."
Kindly refer me to other posts which DO show "thought" and "imagination" as you understand those words --- Maybe my definitions are different from yours.
As for "Marxist ideology",... Could you explain that connection?
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Posted Friday, July 31, 2009 4:48 PM By OneoftheSheep
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.
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Posted Saturday, August 01, 2009 2:27 PM By Richard Flores
ToF seems to be having fun with his belief that his comment represents an “outlandish” scenario. However, let’s flash back 40 years… It’s 1969 and the country is in rebellion against “the establishment…Now, consider them writing a similar “outlandish” paragraph focused 40 years in the future…”The president voted to allow TERM babies to die after they have survived attempted infanticide. For nearly 40 years, the country has allowed the murder of 1.3 million babies a year though abortion…” Does anyone realize how insane this would have seemed just 40 years ago? It makes ToF’s paragraph all the more frightening!
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Posted Saturday, August 01, 2009 2:42 PM By Richard Flores
I am SICK to death of the liberals using our schools to promote their latest social dogma. Our schools are failing to teach the basics because the curriculum is overwhelmed with social engineering, multiculturalism and ultra-socialist propaganda! (Marx said that he'd overcome by taking over education!) As long as our students are failing the basics, we must STOP allowing the foolish legislatures from meddling in course content. We need to go back 40 years and use THAT curriculum! We have an entire generation of ignorant students, and our capabilities will continue to degrade as long as we continue along the path of allowing NOW, PP, NARAL, and the Democratic Party (Via the politicians) to dictate curriculum! If it isn't working, STOP IT!
It has proven over and over again that it is impossible for embryonic stem cells to be useful for any treatments. Once again, the pro-death organizations LIE as they INTENTIONALLY confuse the embryonic stem cells with ADULT stem cells, which have shown to work with at least 100 valid treatments applications! Adult stem cells have NO objectionable attributes at all! It's amazing that the pro-death groups always need to LIE about their positions while the pro-life people never need to lie! It's wonderful how God provides!
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Posted Monday, August 03, 2009 5:33 PM By JLS
ToF, you don't seem to me to exercise much imagination at all, but rather to rehash the same tired schpiels I've heard since the mid sixties' free love and flowers era. Same if it feels good then do it junk religion. ToF, you have to realize that you're arguing this nonsense with a guy who fell for it for a long time and then realized that all its leaders were schmucks. I lived out of that ideological hog trough for well over a decade before I puked it up. I can smell its presense for many miles. Once you're your addicted to the mush, then you will be vulnerable to the deceptions that follow. The way of escape from your trap is some version of sack cloth and ashes ... it works. You have to do what the Church has always taught which is deny yourself and pick up your cross and follow Jesus; you can't simply prance along with Him because at some point the path narrows and only those in His train remain with Him. And if you have no idea what I'm saying, then do as I always recommend and acquaint yourself thoroughly with Scripture, for there is no way you will understand other magisterial writings without a solid knowledge and belief in Holy Scripture.
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Posted Monday, August 03, 2009 11:05 PM By The original Frank
Richard Flores: This will probably sound incredible to you, but the statements you've made exemplify one of the reasons American society at large is hardened against life-friendly legislation, and why we continue to have laws which treat abortion as a "woman's right." There are two general reasons I say this. First is that people like yourself, understandably angry and frustrated with the continued abortion situation, resort to name-calling ("pro-death", "Marxist", etc.) and lock the "other side" into a polarized position. This was not Christ's way, who socialized with sinners, outcasts, foreigners, Romans and Jewish fundamentalists. Second is that you quote "facts" which aren't fully accurate; this reinforces the pro-choice perspective that pro-life people aren't honest or rational. Obama's vote to against "born alive" avoided any change which would alter the legality of abortions, it did not permit killing at-term babies (who remain legally protected anyway). Though the reasoning is wrong, it does not permit killing at-term babies. The very people you are presumably trying to sway to our position know this and reject my pleas as well as yours in part because, despite good intention to protect life, your not-quite-scrupulous claims overstep the 8th Commandment (see also CCC 2477 and following).
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Posted Monday, August 03, 2009 11:05 PM By The original Frank
What's heartbreaking and frustrating from my perspective is that we don't need the "allow term babies to die" argument to make a case against abortion or against research using embryonic stem cells. God (through academic research, of all sources) has given us all the facts we need about the course of human development and the inefficacy of hierarchically micro-managed education systems; we don't need to depend on Marx-as-bogeyman scare tactics to make our point. We don't need to oppose all efforts to further biotechnology, or to turn our educational system back forty years. Biotechnology is an opportunity for good that God has set before us. It is up to us to integrate the good that God offers us and cooperate as much as we can and find our way through without compromising our ethics. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" --- Not "blessed are those who use any means at all..." To use "facts" that exaggerate the truth and demonize people who don't think as we do is to strike harder than scrupulous honesty allows. It is to repeat Moses' sin in the desert (see Numbers 20:11).
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Posted Tuesday, August 04, 2009 2:54 PM By JLS
ToF, your remarks to Richard Flores are blatantly uninformed. You keep harping the marxist line that Jesus only stroked His enemies. Read the Gospel; He called them viper, sons of the devil, followers of the one who was a murderer in the beginning, etc. Inform yourself, because you know only the marxist anti Church propaganda. If you are merely ignorant, then go and learn. But if you are in insurgent bent on deception, then you've met your waterloo on this blog site.
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Posted Tuesday, August 04, 2009 4:24 PM By Anne T.
I really wonder if there is hope for this country. Some of our and other scientists are just monsters. They are mixing animal cells with human embryos in England and probably doing it here.
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Posted Tuesday, August 04, 2009 10:39 PM By The original Frank
Thank you, JLS for your comments and your effort to help me be less blatantly uninformed. Your suggestion to read the Gospel would be more helpful yet if you were to quote chapter and verse so I don't get lost and confused. In the present example, it seems you meant to quote Jesus' words from Mat 23:33, "You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?" But that verse would appear to contradict your point, Jesus' rebuke being aimed squarely at the Pharisees, against legalism and unhealthy concern over Other People's Sins. This is pretty close to what I intended to convey in the comment you criticized. I would also appreciate help understanding how "you know only the marxist anti Church propaganda" squares with CCC 2478.
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Posted Thursday, August 06, 2009 1:18 PM By JLS
ToF, begin with Matthew and read through all four Gospels. Do this several times. Make note of the verses that you are not familiar with. ToF, your spinning may fool many, but it is silly. If you have any respect for Jesus Christ, then bow your knee to Him and confess Him, not your view of Him.
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Posted Thursday, August 06, 2009 1:22 PM By JLS
ToF, per ccc 2478, we've already tried that with you; it doesn't have any effect. But if you want to try again, then just go one idea at a time.
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Posted Thursday, August 06, 2009 9:00 PM By The original Frank
Hi JLS: CCC 2478 reads in part: "...But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it." I can't tell if your command to re-read the Gospels multiple times is a genuine offer of help from a biblical expert or a spiteful comment intended to imply I am unfamiliar with Christian scripture (in which case, ironically, the comment would violate 2478). Don't you think making such an "assignment" would be my spiritual director's job? I still don't know for sure which Gospel you were referencing earlier, nor how any of this relates to Marxism (in your earlier posts). In the spirit of 2478, I'm asking.
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