RE: The Official "Damned Trump" Thread
June 6, 2019 at 12:04 am
(This post was last modified: June 6, 2019 at 12:05 am by Fake Messiah.)
Trump put an abrupt end to research into treating diseases like cancer, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's
"religious extremists"? Come on. When there are so many "religious extremists" that they can influence the president and need to be appeased like this then they're just religious people.
Quote:In an effort to appease religious extremists, Trump ordered major new restrictions on federally funded research with fetal tissue.
Trump put an abrupt end to critical federally funded research into treating diseases like cancer, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's.
On Wednesday, the Health and Human Services Department announced an end to government scientists using federal funding for medical research using fetal tissue. The fetal tissue, which would otherwise be discarded if it weren't used in research, is obtained with the consent of women who have abortions.
While the announcement came from HHS, a White House spokesperson made clear that this "was the President's decision" and not that of other top officials.
According to the policy change, some research currently in progress can continue, but under stricter scrutiny by an increasingly anti-science administration. However, the administration did abruptly end a contract with a university that was using fetal tissue in research aimed at HIV therapies. The federal government was the sole funder of the research, according to the Washington Post.
Scientists within the administration advised against such a drastic and anti-science restriction, which the administration hinted it was considering last November.
The broader scientific and medical community is also speaking out to highlight the harm Trump's decision will cause.
"The ban on fetal tissue research is akin to a ban on hope for millions of Americans suffering from life threatening and debilitating diseases." Lawrence Gostin, a professor focused on public health law at Georgetown University, told the New York Times. "It will affect everything from cures for cancer and HIV through to Parkinson's and dementia."
But Trump ignored the expertise of medical and scientific professionals, even dismissing the advice of his own HHS secretary, Alex Azar, who reportedly pushed for a less restrictive policy change.
https://shareblue.com/trump-end-medical-...al-tissue/
"religious extremists"? Come on. When there are so many "religious extremists" that they can influence the president and need to be appeased like this then they're just religious people.