BLOG Medicine

America's Doctor, President's Puppet

Dr. Richard Carmona, the 17th U.S. Surgeon General testified, last week, before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that while he was the nation's top doctor from 2002 to 2006, politics overrode science and belief was more important than fact.

Carmona described a number of topics deemed taboo by Bush administration officials while U.S. Surgeon General, including:

• embryonic stem cell research;
• Plan B, the emergency contraceptive;
• the dangers of secondhand smoke; and,
• the failings of abstinence-only programs

In his speeches, Carmona was ordered to mention President Bush three times for every page and was even discouraged from going to the Special Olympics because of the charitable event's close connection with the prominently-Democrat Kennedy family.

Carmona is quoted as saying, "anything that doesn't fit into the political appointee's ideological, theological or political agendas is ignored, marginalized, or simply buried."

When Carmona quit July 31, last year, public health advocates were critical of Carmona for having not acted more forcefully with an Arizona health department spokesman Michael Murphy sniping, "went out with a whimper, didn't he?", according to the Arizona Daily Star.

Testifying with Carmona were two predecessors, Dr. C. Everett Koop, who served under President Ronald Reagan, and Dr. David Satcher, name by Clinton but whose term ended under Bush.  Carmona told that committee that some of his predecessors had told him that, "we have never seen it as partisan, as malicious, as vindictive, as mean-spirited as it is today, and you clearly have worse than anyone's had."■

Bush Vetoes Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act

As expected, for the second time in the past year, President Bush has vetoed legislation to expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

S.5 Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act would amend the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that uses embryonic stem cells regardless of the date in which the stem cells had been harvested.  Under current legislation, federally funded scientists can conduct research on embryonic stem cells only if the cells were derived before 9 p.m. on Aug. 9, 2001.

Siding with many religious conservatives, Bush opposes research that would result in the destruction of embryonic stem cells despite strong support for the work among medical researchers and the public.  Bush has been quoted as saying, "If this legislation became law, it would compel American taxpayers -- for the first time in our history -- to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos...I will not allow our nation to cross this moral line."

Nations, like stars, are entitled to eclipse -- the struggle for progress continues.■

U.S. Congress Joins Senate to Endorse Stem Cell Research

A Democratic-led U.S. Congress voted 247-176 to pass a measure already passed in the Senate to expand federally funded embryonic stem cell research, but is short of the two-thirds majority necessary to necessary to over-ride another expected Bush veto.

Backers of the bill say it holds hope and potential cures for millions of people suffering from debilitating diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, and Parkinson's.  The bill would allow scientists to only use embryos left over from fertility treatments, that would otherwise be discarded, and donors would be required to give written consent.

Embryonic stem cells are the source of every cell, organ, and tissue in the body and are studied to understand disease, and scientists hypothesize that their use can transform medicine.  Scientists reported a breakthrough on 8 June 2007, having made progress in tests with mice to produce stem cells without destroying embryos, which if it works in humans, could ease ethical concerns.

In the meantime, politicians and others continue to denounce stem cell research as morally offensive.  BLOG Medicine continues to be stunned by such fear and ignorance that is better left in the Dark Ages.  One wonders what would have happened had an organization like NASA said that space exploration was an affront to Heaven and shouldn't be allowed.■