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At Evolution News and Science Today: The Appalling Moral Failure of Francis Collins

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John West provides a, er, surprising and enlightening picture of the theistic evolution great. Not for the faint of heart:

Among evangelical Christians and other people of faith in America, Collins has long been the equivalent of a rock star. But Collins’s days of glory as a non-partisan role model, especially for the faith community, may be numbered — and it’s not just because of the latest scandal over the origins of COVID-19.

In recent months, Collins’s agency has become embroiled in controversies over its funding of stomach-churning medical experiments involving body parts harvested from aborted babies. The disclosures about the experiments followed Collins’s repeal earlier this year of restrictions on the use of aborted fetal tissue in NIH-funded research…

This year, however, Collins’s reputation has taken continued beatings, not just because of evasive answers about the role of the NIH in gain-of-function research in China, but also because of publicity around NIH-funded experiments that many Americans, especially people of faith, would find horrific.

NIH’s Gruesome Experiments with Baby Parts

In May, reports surfaced about macabre NIH-funded experiments that utilized body parts collected from aborted human fetuses to create “humanized mouse and rodent models with full-thickness human skin.” For the experiments, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh cut into tiny pieces “human fetal spleen, thymus, and liver organs” and “then transplanted the tissues and hematopoietic stem cells into irradiated… mice.” Researchers also sliced off skin from the scalp of the aborted babies and then grafted the fetal skin onto the mice. In the words of the scientists: “Full-thickness human fetal skin was processed via removal of excess fat tissues attached to the subcutaneous layer of the skin, then engrafted over the rib cage, where the mouse skin was previously excised.”

The body parts used for these experiments were harvested from aborted human fetuses with a gestational age of 18-20 weeks. By that age, an unborn baby has brain waves and a beating heart. He can hear sounds and move his limbs and eyes, and his digestion system has started to work. In other words, the human fetuses whose organs were harvested for this NIH-funded research were well-developed tiny humans, not blobs of undifferentiated cells.

In August, an additional project funded by the NIH came to light thanks to documents obtained in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by Judicial Watch and the Center for Medical Progress. The lawsuit was filed after Collins’s NIH dragged its feet in responding. According to Judicial Watch, the documents show that the NIH has provided nearly $3 million in tax dollars to support a fetal organ harvesting operation by the University of Pittsburgh in its “quest to become a ‘Tissue Hub’ for human fetal tissue ranging from 6 to 42 [!] weeks gestation.” …

Although Collins likes to tout his personal faith, he appears to have very little concern for any sort of conscience rights of fellows religious believers who disagree with him. After all, he dutifully served in a previous administration that repeatedly weakened conscience protections for medical workers opposed to abortion and that violated federal law by turning a blind eye when California mandated abortion coverage in all private insurance plans.

John G. West, “The Appalling Moral Failure of Francis Collins” at Evolution News and Science Today

And much more.

So that’s the public face of theistic evolution…

You may also wish to read: Francis Collins, well-known theistic evolutionist, resigns his position at NIH. If either of these political/ethics matters, as detailed, are factors, his sudden resignation would send the stories down the news hole promptly and conveniently.

Comments
So why not expand the “harvesting” of aborted fetuses not only for Important Medical Research to Save Human Lives, but also to use them as a https://chinesebuffetnearmenow.net/ sustainable and nutritious program save lives in the fight against World Hunger? Make them into sausages. It’s just tissue, right?RonLuera
December 10, 2021
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Chuckdarwin @4,
Whenever I get concerned that Christians are going to take over the country and burn all us infidels at the stake, I am comforted by the fact that they will destroy each other long before they get to the rest of us…
Jesus told Pilate that "My kingdom is not of this world, otherwise my servants would fight." To be a follower of Christ, one obeys His teachings. On the other hand, some of the most scurrilous politicians try to appeal to patriotism, Christianity, conservation of natural resources, justice, social equality, and anything else to get themselves into power. Such people are opportunists who are always looking for a parade that they can run to the front of and try to lead. Authentic Christians try to keep people from burning, especially from "the lake of fire" that was prepared for the devil and his angels, but will sadly also include those people who reject God's offer of forgiveness. -QQuerius
October 7, 2021
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A fetus is not a person , not a human, if I so I suggest an experiment , lets abort every single fetus from now on , lets terminate every single pregnancy. Now will the last living person , human in 120 years time please switch off the lights, were done.Marfin
October 7, 2021
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There was a time when American plantation slaves weren't considered people. Allowing them a 3/5 vote was actually a big step up. So why not expand the "harvesting" of aborted fetuses not only for Important Medical Research to Save Human Lives, but also to use them as a sustainable and nutritious program save lives in the fight against World Hunger? Make them into sausages. It's just tissue, right? After all, Jonathan Swift proposed something like this with Irish babies in his modest proposal: https://www.everywritersresource.com/lets-just-eat-the-babies-by-jonathan-swift/ -QQuerius
October 6, 2021
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Anti-abortion advocates oppose fetal tissue research because the tissue primarily comes from abortions. Scientists say that for certain types of experiments, there is no substitute for human fetal tissue cells.
Notice how they created that parallel. Anti-abortionists vs scientists.
In the proposal, Pitt notes that is has been “collecting fetal tissue for over 10 years … include[ing] liver, heart, gonads, legs, brain, genitourinary tissues including kidneys, ureters and bladders.” https://www.judicialwatch.org/press-releases/hhs-documents-organ-harvesting/
Silver Asiatic
October 6, 2021
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TLH - exactly. Aside from murdering and butchering the children - nobody asks their permission on the sale of their body parts. Apparently, it's just a "clump of cells" - until someone wants to carve up the body and make a profit selling it off.Silver Asiatic
October 6, 2021
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Did any of you guys catch this beauty? "Studies using fetal tissue are among the most tightly regulated in research today. Robust safeguards are in place to ensure that CONSENT IS OBTAINED, blah blah blah" As any sane person can figure out, Abortion is the willful and planned killing of an innocent human being. It is thus "premeditated murder" So getting an abortion is like hiring a mafia hit man. So those "robust safeguards", what do they ensure? Here's what. They ensure that, when top Peer Reviewed Scientists at Top Colleges need the corpse of someone who has been murdered, the Scientists have to get the person who hires the hit man to approve of what the Scientists are going to do with the corpse. And then the Scientists work with the hit man to assure that the Peer Reviewed procedures on corpse harvesting and dismemberment are followed correctly. If the hit man doesn't follow procedures, the Scientists don't pay the hit man for the murdered person's body parts. . . What a howl, huh fellas?TAMMIE LEE HAYNES
October 6, 2021
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You are a lost soul, Seversky. One of those who believe the justification for the means will be found in the ends.Belfast
October 6, 2021
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"By law, all fetal tissue donations are voluntary and informed consent is required for fetal tissue to be collected for and provided to researchers". Hold on a second.. Clearly the critical moral issue here concerns the humanity or otherwise of the unborn. Those of us who consider infants in the womb with heartbeats, hearing, and other signs of living, sentient vitality to be human don't care whom you asked about chopping them up for parts. Obviously, the ones who were NOT asked for "informed consent" were the unborn infants to be dismembered. Perhaps if we ever make it into God's Kingdom, we can ask THEM what they thought about being cruelly chopped to pieces for the "advancement of science".Fnarb
October 6, 2021
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Seekers/6
I’d say Francis Collins beliefs are irrelevant to his participation in these cruel experiments, the lies and dishonesty around the entire debacle is rather disturbing to say the least.
I agree.
Seversky, from your comments you seem to be advocating such experiments is that correct?
All experiments should follow rigorous scientific and ethical protocols which should also be transparent in terms of methodology and the data employed. From the University of Pittsburgh website
Fetal Tissue Research Fetal tissue research plays a crucial role in scientists’ efforts to combat and cure some of our most devastating diseases, including Alzheimer’s, ALS, diabetes and Parkinson’s. This research also helps us understand how to support healthy pregnancies, successful births and healthy babies. How have scientists at Pitt used fetal tissue in their research? Scientists at Pitt have used fetal tissue to better understand the efficacy and safety of certain treatments for HIV, AIDS and cancer. As another example, by learning how the placenta protects the fetus against viral infections, researchers are able to keep more mothers and their babies healthy and safe. How does Pitt obtain fetal tissue? Tissue is obtained from repositories called tissue banks. The Pitt Biospecimen Core, which provides central support for Pitt research programs, receives all fetal tissues from UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. In a clinical setting, conversations about donating fetal tissue for scientific research can only occur after a patient has decided to terminate a pregnancy. This process is set by federal law, which requires a patient’s written consent for a donation of this kind. How is fetal tissue research regulated? Studies using fetal tissue are among the most tightly regulated in research today. Robust safeguards are in place to ensure that consent is obtained, clinical and research functions are separated, and financial gain is prohibited. The University of Pittsburgh—and all academic institutions engaged in this work—must comply with federal and state regulations. In fact, PA is home to some of the strictest rules in the nation.
In addition,
Pitt hires independent party to review fetal tissue research practices Friday, September 10, 2021 By SUSAN JONES Pitt has hired an outside law firm to do an independent review of its fetal tissue research processes and practices, which have come under increased fire lately in conservative circles. The University has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in its research practices and said fetal tissue research is “subject to robust internal controls and highly regulated at the state and federal level.” The Washington, D.C., law firm Hyman, Phelps & McNamara is conducting the review and will present its findings to the University’s senior leadership when it is concluded. The University’s statement said the firm has extensive experience with health care, research and regulatory law. In a statement, the University said it has taken this “proactive step to ensure that it is positioned to continue leading the way — scientifically, legally and ethically — in practicing and advancing lifesaving research.” A Pitt spokesman said that all National Institute of Health grant awards and reporting processes entail “rigorous and detailed requirements and documentation for the use of fetal tissue. Pitt also has a robust compliance regime in place to continually monitor and evaluate research practices and compliance with all federal and state requirements and laws. This includes several oversight committees, all of which include external community members. … Pitt also regularly reviews research projects for compliance purposes.” Fetal tissues have long been used to study diseases. In 2020, the top-10 NIH-funded institutions — which includes Pitt — received NIH grants for projects that utilize fetal tissue research. Scientists have used fetal cell lines to develop and test several vaccines, including those for COVID-19, polio, chickenpox, shingles, measles, rubella and rabies. Anti-abortion advocates oppose fetal tissue research because the tissue primarily comes from abortions. Scientists say that for certain types of experiments, there is no substitute for human fetal tissue cells. By law, all fetal tissue donations are voluntary and informed consent is required for fetal tissue to be collected for and provided to researchers, who are not involved in collecting the tissue. The NIH and Pennsylvania law expressly forbid entities from profiting off the collection, cataloging, storage and transfer of fetal tissue donations. (My emphasis)
Seversky
October 6, 2021
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Whenever I get concerned that Christians are going to take over the country
I would not worry about the Christians. The Montagnards always turn on the Girondists. From your comments, my guess is you are a Girondist.jerry
October 6, 2021
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Francis espouses scientism and the fruit of it is being shown. We must stand on God's word. I don't know about his standing with God, but this is a trap many can fall into.zweston
October 6, 2021
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For me this has nothing to do with a theistic evolution I really like Francis Collins this really depresses meAaronS1978
October 6, 2021
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seversky:
My word, you people really have it in for theistic evolutionists, don’t you?
They deny reality and think that we have to allow science to pursue a lie.ET
October 6, 2021
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I’d say Francis Collins beliefs are irrelevant to his participation in these cruel experiments, the lies and dishonesty around the entire debacle is rather disturbing to say the least. Seversky, from your comments you seem to be advocating such experiments is that correct? ChuckDarwin, atheistic regimes are some of worst blights this world has had to face, I fail to understand the rather ignorant statement in your comment.Seekers
October 6, 2021
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Instead of relying on West's irresponsible and inflammatory rhetoric, try Googling on the actual research carried out at the University of Pittsburgh.Seversky
October 6, 2021
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Whenever I get concerned that Christians are going to take over the country and burn all us infidels at the stake, I am comforted by the fact that they will destroy each other long before they get to the rest of us...chuckdarwin
October 6, 2021
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This particular experiment seems to have no purpose except extreme unnecessary cruelty. Psychopaths running rampant, crafting skin lampshades. Just like old times under dear old Doc Mengele.polistra
October 6, 2021
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Seversky, the lofty advocate for selling aborted baby parts.Belfast
October 5, 2021
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My word, you people really have it in for theistic evolutionists, don't you?Seversky
October 5, 2021
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