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I'm a target for hate mail, says embryo scientist
Sophie Goodchild, Health Editor21.05.08
A London scientist who will spearhead embryo research told today how he has become a target for hate mail.
Professor Stephen Minger, a stem cell expert at King's College, told the Evening Standard he had received letters branding him a Nazi for supporting experiments which create human-animal "hybrids".
He was speaking after MPs voted this week to back the creation of hybrid animal-human embryos to develop potentially lifesaving treatments. Opponents say it is an unethical procedure and have called it "Frankenstein science".
Professor Minger, director of the stem cell biology laboratory at King's College, said he felt "insulted" after being targeted.
"I've had letters from private individuals sent to my work saying what I was doing was horrible and wrong, that I was the spawn of the devil and was acting like a Nazi. It's all been personally insulting," he said.
Professor Minger said he had not reported the perpetrators to police. He is part of one of only two teams in Britain licensed to carry out experiments, the other at Newcastle University, and hopes to start work later this year.
His research will focus on diseases including childhood spinal atrophy and motor neurone disease. Professor Minger added that this week's vote "legitimises what we do" adding that he had always had strong support from patient organisations.
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Clearly the people who are attacking this scientist do not understand stem cell technology and ruled are by their emotions rather than the facts. Religion plays no part in the scientific endeavour due to the fact it as very little of any use to say about science or sciences role in the future of mankind. Religion is a blind faith while science deals with facts and can be either proved or disproved by fellow scientists. If religion had had its way the earth would have still been the centre of the universe and man the pinnacle of evolution, which we now know are both false assumptions. We live in a world dominated by science in fact everything we do is ruled and governed by science and at the end of the day, it beats scratching around on the African plains 50 000 years ago trying to survive against all the odds. Science is the only way forward and I do not need religion to tell me how to behave towards my fellow man, we need people like Professor Stephen Minger if we are to push forward as a species.
- Stephen D., London England.
