Obama to reverse Bush policy on embryonic stem cell research

[Richard Tafoya]

LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obama-stem-cells-2009mar07,0,4706070.story

President Obama on Monday plans to lift key restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, reversing one of the most controversial domestic policies of his predecessor, according to administration sources.

The move has been widely anticipated by scientists and patient-advocacy groups who chafed at President Bush's 2001 decision to bar federal funding for research on nearly all human embryonic stem cells.

Under the Bush policy, a limited set of embryonic stem cells created before August 2001 could be used in federally funded experiments.

But many scientists said that policy placed significant constraints on research aimed at producing cures for disease. Embryonic stem cells can grow into nearly any type of tissue in the body, and scientists are hoping to learn how to mold them into heart cells for cardiac patients, pancreas cells for diabetics and replacement brain cells for people with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease.

[Venisenvy]

it's probably not the decision i would have made but its such a moral middleground that i cant fault the guy

[pinky]

As someone who believes in the right to life, and that life begins at the moment of conception, I see the ethical problem this creates for many people. However, the embryos being used for this research would eventually be destroyed, having been given neither a chance nor a purpose. If they can be used to find cures for devastating diseases, that's probably preferable.

I'm uneasy with it, but I can see both sides.

This, however, might make the question moot:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/mar/01/stem-cells-breakthrough