Lirik Lagu The Great Debate ~ Dream Theater

"A Gallup snapshot poll taken immediately after 

President Bush's speech on funding embryonic stem cell 

research last night shows that half of Americans approve 

of his decision, 25% do not, and still another 25% aren't 

sure what to think."

"Most people don't even know what stem cells are."

"Who is going to scream the loudest? Will it be the 

right-to-lifers or will it be the scientists? And now what's 

going to happen is that there will be a tremendous amount 

of lobbying in Washington, D.C.: scientists, entertainers, 

people who want to see this research – will be coming forth."

"I am concerned about it. Christopher Reeve is concerned 

about it. Everyone is concerned about it. The big question is 

do the ends justify the means? When we talk about research, yes, 

we can cure a lot of things...speculatively. But, where is the proof?"

"These developing human beings that you are talking about, 

these embryos were produced in an artificial, scientific 

environment. In vitro fertilization is not God's will."

"That doesn't make them any less human, though, after that happens."

"We are on a road where we really don't know where we are going as 

far as what's next. We are talking about harvesting embryos. We are 

talking about this, we are talking about that, but what is the cost?"

"How could we possibly abandon the research?"

"That is right. That is the old question. If you think the 

research is good, then you may not have a problem with it. 

It is only if you think the research is questionable that you get 

defensive about it. (you do have time to research these 

embryos later if we choose to do so. While people are 

suffering, we are not truly certain that this will provide a cure.)"

"And there was a great outrage in the conservative churches... 

You cannot use developing humans... At that point in time 

they turn into humans."

"I feel that abandoning this research could be a mistake. 

Researching this may allow us to save other lives or at least 

to improve the quality of lives."

"We do not have the answers, yet. We need to put 

the money where we will get those answers in the future. 

Listen, we are out of time."

What if someone said:

"Promise lies ahead"

"Hopes are high in certain scientific circles"

"Life won't have to end"

"You could walk again"

What if someone said:

"Problems lie ahead"

"They've uncovered something highly controversial"

"The right to life is strong"

"Can't you see it's wrong?"

Humankind has reached a turning point

Poised for conflict at ground zero ready for a war

Do we look to our unearthly guide?

Or to white coat heroes searching for a cure?

Turn to the light

Don't be frightened of the shadows it creates

Turn to the light

Turning away would be a terrible mistake

Anarchistic moral vision, industries of death

Facing violent opposition, unmolested breath

Ethic inquisitions breed antagonistic views

Right wing sound bite premonitions, a labyrinth of rules

Are you justified

Are you justified

Are you justified

Justified in taking

Life to save life?

Life to save life?

Life to save life?

This embryonic clay

Wrapped in fierce debate

Would be thrown away or otherwise discarded

Some of us believe

It may hold the key

To treatment of disease and secrets highly guarded

Are you justified

Are you justified

Are you justified

Justified in taking

Life to save life?

Life to save life?

Life to save life?

Humankind has reached a turning point

Poised for conflict at ground zero ready for a war

Do we look to our unearthly guide?

Or to white coat heroes searching for a cure?

Turn to the light

Don't be frightened of the shadows it creates

Turn to the light

Turning away would be a terrible mistake

We're reaching, but have we gone too far?

Harvesting existence only to destroy

Carelessly together, we are sliding

Someone else's future four days frozen still

Someone else's fate we are deciding

Miracle potential, sanctity of life

Faced against each other, we're divided

Should we push the boundaries? Or should we condemn?

Moral guilt and science have collided

Turn to the light

We defy our own mortality these days

Turn to the light

Pay attention to the questions we have raised

"One of the big questions that still remains for me, though, 

is that all of these embryos that are sent or will be 

discarded – is this worse than just throwing those away?"

"You do not know that all of these will be discarded. 

All of a sudden you say which ones will be discarded. 

And all of sudden you have people being solicited for parts 

of their anatomy. Then they harvest parts of people's bodies. 

That is how it starts."

"People are not soliciting; there are fertility clinics 

that have extra embryos."

"The research is a scientific advancement. I know we are 

going down a road that we may not know where we end, 

but that is exactly what science is all about. I am very sorry, 

but I do feel sympathy for those whose spines have been severed... 

There is a possibility that we might cure them. I am concerned 

about a cure for juvenile diabetes and if these types of 

scientific advancement can cure these diseases, then quite 

candidly I think there ought to be at least what President Bush 

has proposed: some limited research."

"Stem cells come from developing human beings and they 

shouldn't be experimented on that doesn't make sense or 

that is unethical, but at the same time there is great promise."

"I have a 28-year old son who is paraplegic. And if there is 

a small chance that my son can be able to have feeling and 

be able to walk then I am for it."

"Human beings have been evolving for tens of thousands 

of years and we are just injecting cells from embryos into 

people's brains. How do we come to do something like that?"