Foetus, the new Botox!

[emzie]

The Daily Mail did an expose on various clinics around the world offering stem cells from newborn's umbilical cords and actual aborted foetuses themselves.

The article is too long to quote but here's an example. Read more at the link below.

Destination: Barbados:

The Institute for Regenerative Medicine

The Treatment: Anti-ageing stem-cell injections made from aborted foetal tissue, £15,000 The past 12 months have seen this popular holiday resort become the stem-cell capital of the developed world, treating hundreds of patients in a year.

The upmarket clinic opened last year in one of the island's most luxurious hotels - Villa Nova - after Ukrainian stem-cell researchers, who have been secretly pioneering stem-cell studies with aborted human foetuses for 20 years, teamed up with U.S. investors backed by the Caribbean tourist industry.

The aim was to attract wealthy British and American stem-cell tourists for treatment, avoiding the strict ethical barriers to such treatment enforced in Europe and America. The clinic is so busy it has a waiting list of more than 1,000 patients for cosmetic treatments and has treated dozens of British women. The promise: The clinic claims that the foetal tissue derived from elective abortions at six to 12 weeks is rich in regenerative stem cells. 'We inject the cells taken from the liver tissue of human foetuses directly into the vein in the back of your hand,' explains the well-spoken English consultant Jenny, who gives telephone consultations to potential patients.

'The results are incredible. You'll feel and look different after a month because these cells help the body to regenerate itself. The effects last for approximately a year before it needs to be "topped up'' '.

Despite criticism from Church leaders and religious groups on the Island, Barnett Suskind, chief executive of IRM, is unapologetic about the treatment he carries out. 'It is the most natural form of healing there is - in ten years, everyone will be doing this,' he says. 'You think better, sleep better, and look better. Your quality of life improves and your libido certainly improves.' The reality: 'The science behind the treatments on offer at IRM is based on the theory that stem cells from aborted foetuses may search out damaged and dead cells in the body and work to repair and replace them,' says Dr Stephen Minger, director of stem cell biology at King's College, London.

'But what this clinic is doing raises serious issues. For a start, it is not regulated by any medical board and there is no documented evidence or controlled clinical trials to back up their claims. More worryingly, there is no proof that the tissue is obtained from truly elective abortions rather than financially induced ones.

'Research shows that they openly import foetuses from poverty-stricken provinces in Ukraine and Russia, preying on the financially desperate to treat vain Western women.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/li...79&ico=Homepage&icl=TabModule&icc=FEMAIL&ct=5

I want to state first off that I'm a stem-cell supporter. I believe the research will lead to many great things, but find the idea of fat rich women who can't come to terms with growing old supporting abortions in devolving countries like Ukraine and Russia to be abhorrent. Next revolation will be the women were paid to have the abortion or paid for the feotuses. Something shady has to be going on there.

What kind of image does this give the industry?

 

[GenMarshall]

I am sorry, but that sourt of procedure involves killing one human being to help another. So realy this procedure is very immoral.

 

[Xanikk999]

I am sorry, but that sourt of procedure involves killing one human being to help another. So realy this procedure is very immoral.

Well considering abortion is still legal in most places you might as well use the fetuses for something.

 

[GenMarshall]

Well considering abortion is still legal in most places you might as well use the fetuses for something.

I am sorry but abortions are immoral as well.

 

[emzie]

I am sorry, but that sourt of procedure involves killing one human being to help another. So realy this procedure is very immoral.

I really don't think the morality of abortion has anything to do with this past the point that all feotues were abortions or frozen embryos.

I am sorry but abortions are immoral as well.

Great. Take it to your own thread.

 

[Sidhe]

I am sorry, but that sourt of procedure involves killing one human being to help another. So realy this procedure is very immoral.

What are you sorry about that's morally abhorent to most people, in this context at least. This is why ethics comitties exist, this why the scientists have to fight such predudice against their work also.

Someone is bound to take this as some sort of generalised will to abuse the research by some governments and use it as propaganda against those who are working within both strict UK guidelines or world guidelines, sad stuff.

EDIT: of course Civ whether SCR actually is killing one person to help another is a whole 'nother planet.

 

[Xanikk999]

I am sorry but abortions are immoral as well.

But they are already a dead bunch of cells or some disfigured tiny being. So why not use what cannot be saved?

 

[GenMarshall]

I really don't think the morality of abortion has anything to do with this past the point that all feotues were abortions or frozen embryos.

The article says "Anti-ageing stem-cell injections made from aborted foetal tissue" does it not? and where do you think thoes fetuses comes from? They come from abortions, not some magical tree

Great. Take it to your own thread.

I am sorry, but I have as much right to say my opinions on this matter as much as anyone else. If you have the right to say and express your opinions, why cant I?

 

[Xanikk999]

The article says "Anti-ageing stem-cell injections made from aborted foetal tissue" does it not? and where do you think thoes fetuses comes from? They come from abortions, not some magical tree


I am sorry, but I have as much right to say my opinions on this matter as much as anyone else. If you have the right to say and express your opinions, why cant I?

But the tissue is already dead. Would you rather they throw it in a garbage can, or use it to benifit humanity?

 

[GenMarshall]

But the tissue is already dead. Would you rather they throw it in a garbage can, or use it to benifit humanity?

I rather have the dead fetus that has been immoraly ripped out of it's mother's womb a proper burial. Even if these stem cells would help humanity, its still wrong to take a life to benifit humanity.

 

[Xanikk999]

I rather have the dead fetus that has been immoraly ripped out of it's mother's womb a proper burial. Even if these stem cells would help humanity, its still wrong to take a life to benifit humanity.

If it were up to me there would be no funerals. Funerals do no good anyway. Just a HUGE waste of money.

Im telling my future kids never to give me a funeral.

 

[emzie]

The article says "Anti-ageing stem-cell injections made from aborted foetal tissue" does it not? and where do you think thoes fetuses comes from? They come from abortions, not some magical tree

To be specific not all foetal tissue comes from abortions. But again, that's beside the point. The entire 'abortion is satan/ abortion is teh awesome' debate has little to do with the tarnish that this could leave on the field and the industry. By all means, if you wish to discuss the merits and ethics of stem cell research, feel free. I was more interested in the ramifications of this vanity on the image.

 

[.Shane.]

They come from abortions, not some magical tree

Not true. Have you ever read the old children's tale "Jack and the Abortion Foetus stem cell-tree stalk"?

Man, I loved that one when I was a kid. Esp. when Jack kills the giant by replacing his foetus stem-cell injection w/ witches diarehhea. Oh man, was I ever laughing.

 

[{|}$~\]

Two questions:
1. Is it really a "fetus" at 6-12 weeks? I think it would still be an embryo.
2. Would it be possible to make a "line" of such cells?

 

[EdCase]

But the tissue is already dead. Would you rather they throw it in a garbage can, or use it to benifit humanity?

If it was actually benefitting mankind,I say yes use it.
In actual fact ,from the looks of the article, its being used to make copious amounts of money for a select few.

 

[skadistic]

Beyond the "icky" part its just recycling. But its still very "icky". *shivers*

 

[El_Machinae]

I'm a fan of stem cell research (as people may know), and a fan of anti-aging research.

I don't feel that there is enough evidence to support such therapies being viable. While it may help, one would have to be very lucky for such a therapy to have any benefit.

It's unlikely people will be paid to have abortions. They are very common, and will continue to be so for a long time.

I'm also surprised to see this story now. It's been old news for quite awhile, and the validity of the therapies have been under question for quite some time too. While not totally snake oil, it's nearly so.

 

[Cuivienen]

Two questions:
1. Is it really a "fetus" at 6-12 weeks? I think it would still be an embryo.
2. Would it be possible to make a "line" of such cells?

It's an embryo up to and through 12 weeks (3 months).

If the embryo has already been aborted, what in particular is wrong with using it for this? As long as the abortions aren't forced or something, which it doesn't sound like they are.

 

[El_Machinae]

If it was actually benefitting mankind,I say yes use it.
In actual fact ,from the looks of the article, its being used to make copious amounts of money for a select few.

To be fair, this is how every major medical innovation works. A few rich people get extended lives by passing on small fortunes to a small group of doctors.

Overtime, though, the therapies become better understood and streamlined, and more available to the common man. So, while it seems unfair now, these types of efforts lead to widespread benefits in a decade or so.

 

[luiz]

It's sickening and gross.

Here's some news to fat old women: you'll be ugly untill your death no matter how much money you spend on bizarre theories. So get over it.