It’s been in the news for some time, and we’ve talked about it here on the blog, but today it’s official. President Obama today signs an order that ends the Bush administration’s policy against embryonic stem (ES) cell research. Specifically,the ban against using federal money to fund the research on new embryonic stem cell lines (created after August 2001) is being lifted, re-opening the doors to research that may lead to treatments for diabetes, Parkinson’s and numerous other diseases.
What’s incredibly hopeful is the fact that even with the ban, stem cell research has made some great gains in the past several years, including the development of non-embryonic stem cells from skin and other tissues, and even improving on the process. The increase of federal funding should rapidly accelerate the number and diversity of ES cell discoveries in the near future.
But, as always, there’s a bit of a catch. Long before the Bush policy went into effect, Congress approved the 1996 Dickey-Wicker amendment, which bans the use of federal money to create new embryos or destroy embryos. Since creating ES cell lines requires destruction of the embryo, President Obama’s decision is not a free pass for ES cell research; Congress will have to consider modifying or repealing Dickey-Wicker when it comes up for annual renewal.
While I respectfully disagree with those who feel that creating new stem cell lines from embryos is morally objectionable, many people have a “slippery-slope” argument that I find rather silly: that allowing ES cell research is a bad idea because it could lead to designer babies and human cloning. By it’s nature, scientific research paves the way for future development and discovery, so banning it in fear that science might be abused in the future could have crippling effects on its potential uses today. That concern makes it even more important that science policy evolves with the discoveries themselves, not developed in a vacuum, but with the guidance of scientists and engineers at every step along the way.
The president is taking the lead on making that happen; here’s hoping that members of our government (all 3 branches) will place a premium on judging science on its merits, rather than their political and social colleagues.
-Rabiah
March 11, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Good news–let’s hope this is a sign of more governmental support for science. It is interesting to watch Obama try to define himself as the “science president” and it should be noted that along with this presidential order, Obama issued a memo entitled “Scientific Integrity” that outlined that “political officials should not suppress or alter scientific or technological findings and conclusions…” (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Memorandum-for-the-Heads-of-Executive-Departments-and-Agencies-3-9-09/). WE WANT MORE SCIENCE! LESS IDEOLOGY!
March 13, 2009 at 7:43 am
Look again SciGirl1995. The bill that Obama signed on Wednesday prohibits the use of Federal Funds for embroynic stem research. You think that he should have read the bill before he signed it? So what that means is that what he okyed on Monday, he vetoed on Wednesday. This will stop the killing of thousands of innocent babies. IDEOLOGY RULES!!
June 8, 2009 at 11:55 am
I am very excited that we are again moving towards science and good science policy. We are so far behind the rest of the world because moralists object to anything that does not fit cohesively with their beliefs. Yes, by all means, object to something! It’s a right you have been granted by two things: free will, and the Bill of Rights! But do NOT try to use your religious values to make scientific policy. What is wrong according to one set of beliefs is perfectly fine according to another.
June 18, 2009 at 12:41 pm
We’re excited, too, about the direction science policy seems to be taking! I think a significant challenge that we all face is understanding that science and moral beliefs are not mutually exclusive. While there will always be individuals who feel that certain scientific principles will always be at odds with their values (and as you state, this is absolutely their right), I hope that we can start to have more open conversations about how society needs both.
-Rabiah
July 11, 2009 at 10:39 am
[...] its new guidelines for stem cell research. As expected from the draft released in April (see our previous post on this issue), federal funds can be used to support research on existing embryonic stem (ES) cells [...]