Obama to repeal stem cell funding ban on March 9th

[Ogre Mage]

President Obama will fulfill a campaign promise on an important issue for liberals and scientists Monday by signing an executive order freeing up federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, according to news reports.

According to administration officials quoted in those reports, Obama will hold an event to celebrate the new policy at 11:00 a.m. Monday.

Obama's move to lift the restrictions placed on federal funding for the research by President George W. Bush on Aug. 9, 2001, should come as no surprise. Obama repeatedly promised he would do this, and he co-sponsored legislation that would have repealed the restrictions while in the Senate. Bush twice vetoed the bill.

Still, the announcement Monday should quell the anxiety some liberal activists and science advocates reportedly developed during the several weeks that Obama has been president.

Scientists badly want access to federal dollars to advance this research. Embryonic stem cells could have the potential to be converted into any type of human tissue, meaning they could be used to develop therapies for countless ailments. Liberals decried Bush's position as one that put ideology ahead of scientific evidence — a point Obama is sure to drive home Monday.

Bush, with the support of allies in the conservative movement, opposed expanding federal funding on this type of stem cell research because human embryos are destroyed in the process. Though there are other kinds of stem cell research using cells from adults or placentas (and researchers are coming up with more ways to get the cells), scientists continue to maintain that those that come from embryos have the most potential.

The next step is for the National Institutes of Health to develop guidelines for how to dole money out. Then Congress will have to take action to put a federal stem-cell funding policy on the books. Given that the House and Senate passed stem cell legislation several times since over recent years — including during a period when Republicans controlled the agenda — that seems more than possible.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-to-repeal-stem-cell-funding-ban-2009-03-06.html

[Ronnie]

Good

[Tik]

Offensively overdue, but welcome.

[Smash255]

Excellent news.

[Marokai]

Good

Offensively overdue, but welcome.

Excellent news.

[J. J.]

That's one I agree with.

[Holmes]

Speaking of stem cells, Canadians found a way to possibly convert skin cells into stem cells. A good time to fund research.

[Senator Ben]

Fantastic.

[Speed of Sound]

Oh yeah Obama, you grease up that Liberal Baby Killing Machine!     

And do the greatest favor to science that a president has probably ever done, thus advancing medical science in America and the world more than we can possibly imagine and save the lives of millions.

[ilikeverin]

Delightful; my cousin who's in the field will be elated

[yoman82]

Hey! My family just invested in a company in the field. Lucky us!
Although Obama is flopping economically, he really has brought social justice.

[Harry]

Obama just made the proper pro-life move.  Excellent.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Ugh.

[Senator Ben]

Ugh.

My grandfather had Alzheimer's, and it eventually killed him, as did his older brother.  How can you, being pro-life, not approve of something which will save more lives in the future than you can possibly imagine?

[Holmes]

Did people skip my post saying that they discovered a way to possibly turn an adult's cells into stem cells without any consequences and not use a fetus?

If that's the case and people are still whining, well, feel free not to ever use stem cells if it would save your life.

[MasterJedi]

Every so often he does something good.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Did people skip my post saying that they discovered a way to possibly turn an adult's cells into stem cells without any consequences and not use a fetus?

If that's the case and people are still whining, well, feel free not to ever use stem cells if it would save your life.

And lose a useful wedge issue which they can use to whip the base?
Are you joking?

[Holmes]

Did people skip my post saying that they discovered a way to possibly turn an adult's cells into stem cells without any consequences and not use a fetus?

If that's the case and people are still whining, well, feel free not to ever use stem cells if it would save your life.

And lose a useful wedge issue which they can use to whip the base?
Are you joking?

Don't fool yourself, even if they don't have to use embryons anymore, they'll still use the argument to whip the base.

[HockeyDude]

Could someone explain to me the process by which these cells are harvested, because I've always been a little iffy on this subject.  I support lifting the ban because it will someday cure diseases, but still, it IS a bit touchy and I think even liberals have to admit that. 

[Lunar]

I don't think they do.

I think there are fairly bold majorities that support federal funding of stem cell research.

[Holmes]

Could someone explain to me the process by which these cells are harvested, because I've always been a little iffy on this subject.  I support lifting the ban because it will someday cure diseases, but still, it IS a bit touchy and I think even liberals have to admit that. 

Basically, stem cells are cells that don't belong to any specific category yet. They can mature into any type of cell. When an ovule is fertalized, the cells that divide inside it are stem cells and later mature into specific types of cells. But stem cell research is trying to get those stem cells and try to get them to fix a person's disease or whatever.

Like, Alzheimer's for example. Stem cells would be able to fix the damage caused in the brain.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Ugh.

My grandfather had Alzheimer's, and it eventually killed him, as did his older brother.  How can you, being pro-life, not approve of something which will save more lives in the future than you can possibly imagine?

Stem cells may save lives, but not at the expense of the lives of others. Besides, if I did support stem cell reasearch, then I would be accused of being a hypocrite, because destroying embryos is OK for stem cells, but not for abortion.

[Democratic Hawk]

In a statement, former First Lady, Nancy Reagan welcomes President Obama's decision.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19787.html

Under fire from congressional Republicans for lifting restrictions on stem-cell research, President Barack Obama got a powerful endorsement for his move Monday from Nancy Reagan, the former’s president’s wife.

“I’m very grateful that President Obama has lifted the restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research,” she wrote in a statement released shortly after Obama reversed the Bush administration limits. “These new rules will now make it possible for scientists to move forward. I urge researchers to make use of the opportunities that are available to them, and to do all they can to fulfill the promise that stem cell research offers."

Nancy Reagan has been an outspoken advocate of stem-cell research – and scientists hope that the research could someday lead to a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, which afflicted her late husband, Ronald Reagan.

Her statement also illustrates how support for the research crosses party lines, even though many in the anti-abortion movement strongly oppose the research on moral and ethical grounds.

Reagan continued, “Countless people, suffering from many different diseases, stand to benefit from the answers stem cell research can provide. We owe it to ourselves and to our children to do everything in our power to find cures for these diseases – and soon. As I’ve said before, time is short, and life is precious.”

[Tender Branson]

Fantastic.

[Democratic Hawk]

Good