NPR is getting on my nerve more and more, but today I finally got off the dime and sent them an email about a news item -this one.
Here's the letter - not that I expect them to pay it any attention.
Your item on stem cell research included a glaring oversight that is exemplary of the general reporting bias on this controversial topic. You consistently omitted the adjective "embryonic" in the discussion.
The pro-life movement is NOT opposed to all forms of stem cell research. The movement supports stem cell research using cells derived from placentas, umbilical cord blood, adult tissues of various kinds including fat cells and bone marrow - but not research that requires the destruction of a human embryo.
The idea that embryonic stem cells represent a panacea is wide spread and extremely deceptive. The medical breakthroughs to date using stem cells have all been from the non-embryonic kind.
As a 30 plus year NPR supporter and a pro-life medical professional (I'm a certified nurse-midwife) I highly resent the implication that opposing embryo destructive research is somehow a form of medical Luddite-ism. Please, when you tackle such a nuanced topic, use the nuances and the proper language.
biomedical ethics: February 2006 Archives
CNN.com - Women sue Wal-Mart over contraception - Feb 1, 2006
And on a similar note, read this article about a survey done by the group that calls itself "Catholics for a Free Choice". Would you consider this article to be unbiased reporting? It seems to me that Catholic Hospitals should also have the freedom to make a choice that is in line with their ethical guidelines.
Or is it that legally, they aren't human beings yet?
The Big Business of Making Babies
HT to Dawn Eden whose personal headline on this issues was Cradle of Industry
(groan)