Stem cell policy overturned

United States President Barack Obama has overturned a Bush-era regulation banning most forms of stem cell research (hat tip). Now, better research into cures for several chronic conditions will be allowed. As someone with a medical condition who would benefit from stem cell research, I think this is fantastic news.

Doing this is bad

Cutting funding to family planning will not help the economy, but it will increase the abortion rate, pro-lifers, especially among the poor. (Three quarters of women cite financial factors as part of the reason they had an abortion.) It will just advance sexophobia and the misogynistic agenda hell-bent on punishing women for daring to have sex. Don’t be surprised if there increases in reports of “severe gastric ulcers” and higher sales of pennyroyal among the poor.

Like it or not, people will have sex. Telling people not to have sex will be about as effective at discouraging it as trying to lose weight by repealing the law of gravity.

Obama to lift Global Gag Rule

Salon’s Rebecca Traister reports that President Obama is about to revoke the Global Gag Rule. This is absolutely great news as it will allow proper AIDS prevention and family planning to take place. Abortion has nearly nothing to do with it as in the worst-affected areas abortion is heavily restricted already, and this will not change that. I’d also like to point out that it is still illegal to fund most overseas abortions using taxpayer money, and that revoking the policy simply changes the scope of funding limitations. It in no way results in taxpayer money funding abortions overseas.

Inauguration Day

Barack and Michelle Obama pre-inauguration

It’s the day of the inauguration of Barack Obama as president of the United States.

Bush is gone now, and I’m glad for that, but I retain my view that Bush is not the worst president the United States has ever had. A new era is beginning, and I hope that there will improvement in the United States. But it is necessary to be realistic. If Obama’s presidency turns out to only be “average,” it will seem like a failure because expectations are so high. Disappointment will be easy. But it is necessary to remember that it will not be hugely difficult to look good compared to Bush. Will things be better in four years? Probably. Is a new president a welcome change from the policies of Bush? Yes. Is Barack Obama some sort of miracle worker who will snap his fingers and magically solve everyone’s problems? No.

Image taken from Flickr via the Wikimedia Commons.

Dream of a new era

There have been comparisons, and inauguration day is tomorrow, so, I though I’d show you this today:

Barack Obama: President, community organizer, restaurant critic?

Yes. In 2001, he appeared on a Chicago television show called Check Please. The episode he appeared on was never broadcast. But now that he is president-elect, the episode will be well-broadcast.

Possible “draft” of invocation leaked

A possible “draft” of Rick Warren’s invocation at the Obama inauguration has been leaked. (No one has explicitly confirmed the authenticity of it, so I cannot say that this ”draft” is “genuine”, but look at the categories.).

Check it out at the Huffington Post.