Rant time.

This malarkey that blocks scientists and engineers from performing stem cell experiments is setting back patient care.  Leaving folks desperate for transplants to die.

Now, this is nothing new.  Various (wrong-intentioned) Presidents have banned fetal tissue research since the late 1970s.  Then, in the 1990s, fetal tissue was allowed- but not stem cell work.

But, it’s gotten much worse under TheDonald.  He’s already demonstrated that he has the scientific knowledge of a 2 year old.  (Do I need to mention his manners and etiquette are no further advanced?)

“Why?”, you ask?  Because about a year ago, TheDonald promulgated a series of federal funding rules.  In effect, stopping this avenue of academic research cold.  (Not to mention his repeated attempts to decimate research- into health, the environment, agriculture, and technology.)

By the fall of 2018, HHS (Health and Human Services) began squeezing the life out of this research.  Not because of science- but because the proposed “review” boards included anti-abortion activists and so-called ethicists.   All of whom declared there were alternative tissue choices.  (Yeah.  Like they know.  Nor did they actually proffer an alternative.)

And, those “discussions” led to the adoptions of new rules stipulate that a new ethics advisory board is required to assess every single grant request that involves fetal tissue.  (I reported on this change back in June.) This and the rest of the rules were to apply to any application from 25 September 2019 onward.

Now, an ethics review is not really the issue- but the constitution that TheDonald demanded is not an ethics review board but a Christian WrongWing veto system.   Moreover, the choice of the Board will not be up to NIH, the heretofore normal protocol, but directly overseen by Alex Azar, the HHS secretary.

Even so, TheDonald and Azar have refused to establish such any such board.

And, if that weren’t enough of an impediment, all researchers must now prove that any fetal tissue has been secured through the informed consent of the woman who had the abortion.  Which also means that the clinic and the patient will be universally known.  (You know, like TheDonald and his minions have desperately been trying to out whistle-blowers, despite federal laws banning such revelations.)

The whole situation reminded me of the bold New York Post headline describing a subway strike. Which I used as the headlne of this post. (I learned what this meant some 60 years ago; I had never heard of the expression, but I learned to love it. Situation Normal- All F….d Up.)

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