(U-WIRE) -Criticism of the president's policy on embryonic stem cell research piqued recently. More than 200 members of Congress, including the Senate's only doctor, Republican Majority Leader Sen. Bill Frist, signed a letter in support of increased stem cell research. President George W. Bush merely appeased his right-wing, anti-abortion base by announcing in 2001 that federal funding would be available for stem cell lines discovered prior to August 2001 but not for stem cell lines created after this date.
This policy has severely hampered efforts in the United States to advance this promising field and must be quickly reversed to allow this nation to remain scientifically competitive with the rest of the world.
Embryonic stem cell research is still in its early stages. It could arguably be several years before potentially positive effects are felt by those who suffer from such debilitating illnesses such as Parkinson's, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. Opponents of embryonic stem cell research point to animal studies that have resulted in tumors. While this is the case, one can argue that many advances in science come at a cost, and often trial by error is the only way to achieve great successes.
As Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania has stated, 25 years ago the same theme of an unproven science with potentially unintended consequences was said of recombinant DNA. He points out, Recombinant DNA has led to the development of vaccines
insulin for diabetics and drugs to fight AIDS. The unknown of regenerative science should not be seen as a limitation, but as a door to progress that can only be unlocked with a government policy allowing the expansion of current stem cell lines.
In his 2001 address on the stem cell research topic, President Bush stated, I hope we will always be guided by both intellect and heart by both our capabilities and our conscience. Certainly these ideals can still be achieved with a less restrictive government policy on embryonic stem cell research.
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