Beyond the fact that it is religiously based, just what makes the religious objection to stem cell research...?

You are asking why people find the religious objection irrational?

In my opinion, its irrational because they dont apply the same opinions all the way around. I know lots of people who are against embryonic and fetal stem cell research, calling it murder and backing it up with religion. But I also know that most of those people support IVF, and a few have even conceived children through IVF.

If killing an embryo is murder in stem cell research that could be used to find new medicines and treatment, then why is killing an embryo in their vain attempts at a pregnancy not also wrong?

Its a double standard, and I find double standards irrational.

Of course, most of the double standard stems from a lack of understanding of what IVF actually does. Most people think its about artificial insemination and hormones. I have had people telling me I have no business comparing IVF to stem cell research, since the purpose of IVF is to create life while embryonic stem cell research destroys life. But that irritates me, because last I checked the purpose of embryonic stem cell research is to make people's lives better, and IVF DOES destroy life, in the process of creating life.

I also dont like when people say they fear human farming with embryonic stem cell research. IVF already farms humans, and that is nothing new, and, once again, IVF is something that a lot of people with religious objections to embryonic stem cell research support.

The objection is ONLY religious.

Since we no longer have Dubya in the White House, government money can now and is now being used for stem cell research. We are far behind China, and India in research, because of that 8 year hiatus. It did, continue, however at Howard Hughes Medical Center, since that organization accepted no government money.

No scientist at all has any problem with stem cell research.

What WAS done with fertilized embryos that were not used was that they were simply thrown away.

Remember no blastocyst, zygote etc., has any feeling, thought,.... nothing. The ban was idiotic.

It's like anything else, will it ultimately be bad for one group of people and good for another? Everything we do as human being must be beneficial to everyone as a whole, otherwise it's unfair and who gets to determine who gets what?

Stem cell could probably be really good if it's not threatening the life of something else. If they can work that part out great, if not then......keep working on it.

As we see from these answers, they think the stem cells come from babies.

They don't seem to realise that IVF creates leftover embryos by necessity, and that it's these embryos that are used to harvest stem cells. They also don't seem to realise that if not used for research they will simply be destroyed.

Perhaps most astoundingly of all, they don't seem to realise that the embryos used look like this:

http://www.advancedfertility.com/images/day-5-blas...

Apparently if someone shouts "IT'S A BABY!" enough it's supposed to magically come true.

The original stem cell research used the cells from aborted babies. It was the use of "dead babies" that people objected to. Now there are other sources of stem cells so it's no longer an issue.

There is no scriptural objection to stem cell research.

You're taking DNA from dead babies and then trying to make life through science. Why do you need science to make life when mother nature provided a way?

What's wrong with the umbilical cord for pete's sake?? hmm,,,

I knew you before you were in your mother's womb. Do the math

that they are taking the cells from murdered babies