Obama to reverse embryonic stem cell ban

[Godwynn]

CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama is planning to sign an executive order Monday to overturn Bush-era policy that limited federal tax dollars for embryonic stem cell research, according to administration officials familiar with the deliberations.

Where is the change we all voted for? He is exactly like Bush.

 

[Bast]

Awesome. One of the big things I support him for.

 

[Camikaze]

Yay. More money for research can only be a good thing.

 

[CaptainF]

Good stuff. Funny how pro-lifers are against this research which can bring an end to so many living people's suffering.

 

[Nordstream]

A great decesion

 

[GoodGame]

charges that he had put politics over science.

yeah...lets hope there is little of this.

 

[Masquerouge]

Science is back on track! Be it overhead projectors, fruit flies in France, or grizzly bears!

 

[FriendlyFire]

executive order

I knew it Obama is the new Hitler /run

 

[GoodGame]

Quote:
executive order

I knew it Obama is the new Hitler /run

Godwin's Law: The Drinking Game.

 

[scherbchen]

good. glad to know that US scientists no longer have to give their lunch money to bullies.

 

[tycoonist]

science has finally prevailed over religious nuts. good.

 

[Alpine Trooper]

Thank God!

 

[Munch]

I wholeheartedly support this decision, just like everyone else. Go us.

 

[Aramazd]

I'm glad Obama did this.

 

[CCRunner]

Good stuff. Funny how pro-lifers are against this research which can bring an end to so many living people's suffering.

Hey now, let's not get stereotypical. I'm pro-life, and I don't see a problem with stem cell research. Admittedly, I don't know much much about this issue but as long as the baby is dead already, might as well use it for something.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

Hey now, let's not get stereotypical. I'm pro-life, and I don't see a problem with stem cell research. Admittedly, I don't know much much about this issue but as long as the baby is dead already, might as well use it for something.

This issue is that when Bush decided to allow Federal funding for stem cell research he tried to discourage the destruction of more embryos by limiting the funds to cell lines from those that had already been killed. Previously, no funding was allowed for it at all. He didn't really ban anything, he just refused to fund the destruction of more embryos. Obama's change would allow the the killing of currently living embryos for stem cell research. While they would probably be discarded and thus killed anyway, you can't really say they are dead already.



From what I've heard, Embryonic Stem Cell research actually seems much less promising than Adult or Umbilical Stem Cell research. One of Embryonic Stem Cell's benefits is that the cells reproduce very quickly, allowing tissue to be grown faster--but unfortunately it is quite hard to slow this growth so the tissue is likely to keep growing when it shouldn't, essentially acting like a Cancer. From what I've heard the most promising research may be that using the patient's own stem cells (which can be easily harvested via liposuction), as being genetically identical to the rest of the body means it is far less likely to be rejected.

 

[.Shane.]

Science is back on track! Be it overhead projectors, fruit flies in France, or grizzly bears!

Is the War on Science over?

 

[Cutlass]

Nothing is being killed. Medical waste is being put to use.

 

[Thorvald of Lym]

From what I've heard, Embryonic Stem Cell research actually seems much less promising than Adult or Umbilical Stem Cell research. ...

To my understanding, the main appeal of embryonic stem cells is that they can be developed into any tissue, whereas adult stem cells are 'set' and so are not as flexible.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

I'm pretty sure I remember hearing a couple years ago that it is a lot easier than had been expected expected to "unset" the adult stem cells found in fatty tissue. This was unknown at the time of Bush's executive order so embryonic stem cells seemed more promising then, but not now.