Is an Avera vs Sanford battle brewing in SD over embryonic stem cells?

Internationally recognized stem cell expert Dr. David Prentice is in South Dakota for a few days to smack down (with hard science) the bait and switch false claims of Dave Volk, Nathan Peterson and Mitch Richter of the so-called South Dakotans for Lifesaving Cures. That these are the same Daschle/Planned Parenthood people who gave us the equally deceptively named "Campaign for [Un]Health Families" is for certain, despite the fact that old media in the state are ignoring that fact. And, the link to Sanford Health is oh-so obvious. A few weeks ago a little bird forwarded me an email here from Mitch/Nathan saying;

Secondly South Dakota has incredible capacity to become a leader in stem cell research due to medical facilities located in our state. The primary example of this capacity is Sanford Health System's "Sanford Project" - an effort to find a cure for type 1 diabetes… Repealing the state's ban on stem cell research would give Sanford the option to conduct such research in South Dakota…

It is shocking to read this week in our states largest newspaper about the massive research facility expansion at Sanford and see they get a FREE PASS from the hard questions about Sanford's financial interest see this ban lift on experimenting with human embryos. The article does mention they are currently working with mice and rats. And we are all supposed to think the best that they aren't readying for human embryo experimentation. We aren't dumb. And they aren't forthright.

Dr. Prentice reports: "Because ESC harvesting is very inefficient, it would take approximately 100 human eggs per patient to hope to cure any diseases. This would require massive egg donation by women to be used for research."  And we are supposed to believe Dave Volk that only left over embryos will be used. He doesn't tell you only 2-3% of frozen embryos are available for research.  Where will Sanford get enough embryos? Maybe what they are building here on the north side of our town is an embryo-cloning farm to manufacture human parts? Volk and his RINO friends would then die rich, rich men.

As Bob Ellis reports in a detailed write up this morning– speaking to a group of over 200 yesterday in Rapid City, Dr. Prentice was asked why these people are so ardently supportive of experimenting on human embryos when there have been no cures ever, anywhere, in any embryonic stem cell research, and when there are enormous ethical red flags, and so many successes already achieved with adult stem cells?  Dr. Prentice responded:

Many scientists are not focused on helping patients, but rather on grant dollars, intellectual curiosity, and a race to be the ‘first’ to accomplish some experiment.

Dollars? Race to be first? These are both core aspects of the Sanford DNA. Sanford has no ethical mooring, but thankfully Avera Health Systems still does. During his visit to South Dakota this week, Dr. Prentice will speak to physicians throughout Avera Health Systems.

At least Avera Health is honest about where they stand with regard to those who want to lift our state ban on experimenting on human embyros.  Sanford Health continues to say they aren't taking a position on their obvious position. It's a bold-faced lie and I pray that Cindy Morrison (Sanford Health's VP of Public Policy) senses conviction that manifests in an upset stomach every time she says it.

From the Dakota Voice report…

Dr. Prentice is an internationally-recognized expert on stem cells and cloning, and has testified before the U.S. Congress, numerous state legislatures, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the President’s Council on Bioethics, European Parliament, British Parliament, Canadian Parliament, Australian Parliament, German Bundestag, French Senate, Swedish Parliament, the Vatican, and the United Nations.

I've heard Dr. Prentice speak numerous times when I've been in DC the last five or six years and I look forward to visiting with him today. More to come on his visit to South Dakota.