Boy, the Kansas City Star has an agenda. Without fail, everytime I read one of their articles it has errors. Here is another one for Clone the Truth. Here is my letter:
Dear Mr. Kraske,
I am writing to inform you of errors in terminology in your article "McCaskill backs stem-cell proposal" dated 1/26/06 as seen on KansasCity.com.
First, you wrote, "The stem-cell ballot initiative, sponsored by a group called the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, would amend the Missouri Constitution to protect laboratory techniques for cloning human cells to treat disease...The proposal includes criminal penalties for any attempt to implant cloned cells into a woman’s uterus."
Actually, researchers clone EMBRYOS from which embryonic stem cells are extracted to treat disease. Also, it is not "cloned cells" that would be implanted into a women's uterus, it would be a cloned EMBRYO.
Please see this excellent tutorial on cloning or somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) from Princeton's Department of Molecular Biology that clearly shows that the product of SCNT is a cloned embryo: http://www.molbio.princeton.edu/courses/mb427/2001/projects/09/transfertutorial.htm
In addition, you wrote, "Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Claire McCaskill on Tuesday pledged support for a proposed ballot initiative that would protect research on early human stem cells in Missouri."
The term "early stem cells" is not accurate. "Early stem cells" is a euphemism. The correct term is EMBRYONIC stem cells. Please refer to this glossary of cloning terms from the National Academy of Sciences:
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/s0309076374c?OpenDocument
"Early stem cell" is NOT listed as it is not a scientifically correct term. McCaskill pledges support for EMBRYONIC stem cells defined by the National Academy of Sciences as:
"Embryonic stem (ES) cells - Primitive () cultured cells from the embryo that have the potential to become a wide variety of specialized cell types, (that is, are pluripotent). They are derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst."
For you readers in Missouri to thoroughly understand this initiative and make informed decisions they need to understand embryonic stem cell research and somatic cell nuclear transfer. That requires the proper terminology. Therefore I ask that you print a correction.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Taylor
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