Vote for John Kerry in November, and give him a chance to let scientists do their work. I am speaking of embryonic stem-cell research. No, the scientists don’t know if they will be able to cure Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or a myriad of other diseases, but we need to give them a chance. Stem-cell research is still in its infant form. However, we are learning new things every day.

Anyone who was lucky enough to see Ron Reagan speak at the Democratic National Convention was able to learn a lot about the research. One thing we learned is that these embryos being used are in their very beginning stages, just after the egg has been implanted. This being said, it is a just a group of cells with the ability to become a human; they have no thoughts and feel no pain. Also, I would like to correct one thing: Most scientists believe that Alzheimer’s will not be able to be cured by this, and the Reagans have stated this in their interviews.

One last thing; if this administration is so keen on protecting human life, it should start somewhere more cut and dry, where we know that they are conscious, fully functioning human beings. In Iraq, more than 1,000 Americans have died as the result of our war and occupation, and an even higher number of Iraqis have died: 2,956 civilians and more than 10,000 total. This administration should get its priorities straight and start saving lives by pulling troops out of Iraq and support stem-cell research, or they should get out of the way for someone who can.

Justen Jones

Freshman

Political Science