Modia Minotaur

Trawling the airwaves to spare you the agony!

Thursday, August 17, 2006

A True Conscience Vote

John Howard's decision to allow a conscience vote on stem cell research is - aside from being yet another example of Howard admitting his own agenda and that of society and his party are increasingly distant - notable in that it demonstrates that this debate, much like that of global warming, is finally coming into the mainstream rather than being considered a leftie fringe issue. Many people have worked long and hard to haul it onto the agenda. Former Health Minister Kay Patterson will, in probably her last major gesture before retirement, draft a Private Members Bill on the issue, while Democrats senator Natasha Stott-Despoja is drafting a similar bill on therapeutic cloning.

Anything other than a conscience vote on this issue would have been a travesty. It is a rare sort of issue that must always lay outside the simple notion of party political belief in broad principles, because we must fundamentally rely on our own instincts and conscience to form an answer. It speaks very much to the notion I have been discussing recently that there are no right or wrong answers, only better and worse solutions. Deciding which is the better solution is fundamentally different when it is a human life that are being debated. That being said, I can't imagine a conscience vote on sending troops to war, and I would suggest that wars achieve a lot less than valuable research that can save or improve the quality of hundreds of lives.

The slow, gradual turn in favour of stem cell research makes the recent decision of NSW Premier Morris Iemma to reverse NSW's previously strongly-held support for the research doubly curious. As I've indicated, the public mood appears to be turning toward rather than away from this issue. There seemed no great electoral demand for the reversal. Former Premier Bob Carr was one of Australia's most prominent advocates of the issue, at one point bringing Christopher Reeve to Sydney to talk about the benefits of fast-tracking research to a person such as himself. It will be interesting to see whether Iemma resumes this advocacy in the light of Federal developments. It's a sad day when the Prime Minister shows up a Labor premier as retrograde.

3 Comments:

At 4:36 pm, Blogger oakleyses said...

longchamp outlet, cheap oakley sunglasses, ugg boots clearance, michael kors outlet, prada handbags, uggs outlet, christian louboutin, louboutin shoes, louis vuitton, louis vuitton outlet, michael kors outlet, cheap uggs, chanel handbags, rolex watches, nike free, oakley sunglasses, ugg outlet, louis vuitton handbags, kate spade outlet, longchamp handbags, polo ralph lauren, ray ban sunglasses, nike shoes, longchamp handbags, tory burch outlet, oakley sunglasses, gucci outlet, tiffany and co, oakley sunglasses cheap, michael kors outlet, replica watches, prada outlet, michael kors outlet, michael kors outlet, burberry outlet, uggs, oakley sunglasses, louis vuitton outlet stores, polo ralph lauren outlet, louis vuitton outlet, ray ban sunglasses, louboutin outlet, michael kors outlet online sale, burberry outlet, louboutin, air max, tiffany and co, ray ban sunglasses

 
At 4:39 pm, Blogger oakleyses said...

abercrombie and fitch, nike free pas cher, polo ralph lauren, lululemon outlet online, kate spade handbags, nike tn, michael kors uk, coach outlet store online, hollister, air max pas cher, vans pas cher, nike air force, polo lacoste, sac hermes, hollister, louboutin, sac burberry, true religion outlet, oakley pas cher, mulberry, longchamp, ray ban sunglasses, nike blazer, coach outlet, air max, nike roshe, sac longchamp pas cher, nike air max, air jordan, coach purses, coach factory outlet, air max, north face, nike free, converse pas cher, michael kors outlet, ray ban pas cher, true religion outlet, true religion jeans, new balance pas cher, north face, michael kors, true religion jeans, sac guess, nike roshe run pas cher, ralph lauren, vanessa bruno, michael kors pas cher, timberland, hogan outlet

 
At 4:42 pm, Blogger oakleyses said...

chi flat iron, iphone cases, air max, converse, new balance shoes, nfl jerseys, ferragamo shoes, herve leger, nike roshe run, converse shoes, oakley, hollister clothing store, hollister, north face outlet, beats by dre, wedding dresses, nike huaraches, abercrombie, north face jackets, vans, celine handbags, birkin bag, babyliss pro, timberland boots, reebok outlet, abercrombie and fitch, mont blanc, instyler, ghd, jimmy choo outlet, mcm handbags, asics running shoes, soccer jerseys, giuseppe zanotti, ralph lauren, air max, soccer shoes, lululemon outlet, valentino shoes, baseball bats, vans shoes, gucci, insanity workout, louboutin, nike trainers, longchamp, ray ban, p90x, bottega veneta, mac cosmetics

 

Post a Comment

<< Home