Oklahoma lawmaker seeks to outlaw stem-cell research

And here comes Oklahoma, once again leading the pack in (anti) science. State Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, recently introduced legislation to ban the use of embryonic stem cells in research, according to a March 17 article from Reuters.

Reynolds' House Bill 1326 would make it illegal for any business in Oklahoma to conduct research that "destroys a human embryo or subjects a human embryo to substantial risk of injury or death," according to the bill, which passed the House 82-6 and is now headed to the Senate.

The bill came on the heels of an executive order by President Barack Obama that lifted limits set on embryonic research by that last guy in charge (we've blocked his name out). Reynolds told Reuters that didn't sit too well with him.

"I believe the federal government has infringed on several states' rights," he said. "The right to protect lives is one. My motivation is to protect unborn children."

Reynolds' bill joins similar measures in Georgia, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arizona. Who can tell us what links all these states? Whoever guesses correctly gets a prize in the form of a Bible.

Far be it from us to make a judgment on when life starts (we'll leave that to the politicians "¦ they're much more qualified than lowly Chicken-Fried News flacks), but why is the potential life of an embryo valued higher than the lives of actual, breathing human beings who suffer from multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other diseases and afflictions?

These questions make our head hurt. Let's get back to the funny stuff, like the sidesplitting hilarity of researchers, scientists and educators fleeing north. Instead of boosting our economy with cutting-edge scientific research, we can instead endeavor to create a statewide theme park replication of life under Puritan doctrine. You know, that blissful time when Christmas was banned, women were marginalized and we could execute anyone who didn't think like us. Fun! 

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