Chxa.com

Obama will make the change

Barack Obama, the new president of the United States, has already promised that as soon as he gets in the White House, he will remove the restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. That’s something that many researchers, scientists and patients who suffer from incurable (genetic) diseases approve and look forward to. However, there are some who think the opposite — Worcester Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, who think that the restrictions should stay intact.

George W. Bush has introduced restrictions in this area by limiting federal funding to embryonic stem cell lines that were already created before August 2001. Of course, that was a subject of debate for a long time — but Barack Obama promised to change that by removing the restrictions. He said that he will make it possible for researchers to take embryos stored in fertility clinics (of course, the ones which the parents no longer want and the clinics would have to destroy).
Many scientists and researchers are very glad and are looking forward to this change. “The change would allow scientists that accept National Institutes of Health money to create or access other embryonic stem cells. With more lines available, it could accelerate research potential in lines that may actually have therapeutic value,” said Dr. Terence R. Flotte, provost and dean of the UMass Medical School in Worcester.
Robert Coughlin, head of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, said that this change will be most useful for patients whose only hope is stem cells treatment. “Look at the major role some of the embryonic stem cells are playing in early stage research right now. Any movement to lift the restrictions and add cell lines will be helpful.”

However, there are people who think differently.

Spokesman for the Worcester Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, Raymond Delisle, reported that the church just doesn’t want these restrictions to be removed. “It’s not just a group of cells, they’re unique human beings in an embryonic state. People will say that these embryos would just be destroyed anyway. That’s the end justifying the means because some good might come of the research. But it’s an intrinsic wrong no matter how much good comes from the research.”
The church supports the use of adult stem cells, but is strongly against using embryonic stem cells because of the reasons mentioned above.

Obama will bring many changes, and this will be one of them. The debate between two sides will continue, but only time will tell who was right.

Subscribe to the comments for this post