Monday, March 9, 2009

Obama Lifts Bush’s Strict Limits on Stem Cell Research

You wanted change? Here's more of it:

Pledging that his administration will “make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology,” President Obama on Monday lifted the Bush administration’s strict limits on human embryonic stem cell research.

At a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, before an audience that included lawmakers, scientists and patients, several of them in wheelchairs, Mr. Obama announced that he was issuing an executive order intended to advance the research. He said he hoped Congress would follow with bipartisan legislation that would ease the existing restrictions even more.

..the majority of Americans “have come to a consensus that we should pursue this research; that the potential it offers is great, and with proper guidelines and strict oversight the perils can be avoided.”


After 8 years of crackpot fundamentalism, science and reason are finally getting the respect they deserve. Of course there will be those who claim this is akin to "killing babies." Come on. Couples who go for in vitro fertilization typically have dozens of embryos created and frozen (in case no embroys implant themselves the first go around). For this reason, there are untold numbers of embryonic stem cells from fertilized eggs for in-vitro fertilization that are never going to be used by families for procreation. In many cases, these embroyos are discarded or frozen in perpetuity once the couple successfully conceives.  With this executive order, these unwanted embryos can now be donated for this promising research.  

Scientists hope to use stem cells to replace or rejuvenate damaged tissue. Researchers are also exploring ways to use stem cells to treat diabetes, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury, heart disease and vision and hearing loss, among others. And this would only be the beginning. In the future, many scientists expect that we will be able to use stem cells to grow entire organs. Have heart disease? Let's collect some of your stem cells and grow them into a new heart! Importantly, because the stem cells are your own, they won't be rejected by your body (which is the main problem with transplants today).

See below for President Obama's full remarks:

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