"We've been hearing that, since we now have iPS cells, we don't need to continue
embryonic stem cell research. There's a perception that iPS cells arc 'democratizing' the field because they are fairly straightforward to work with from a technical point of view."
Meanwhile, Oregon legislators are pushing through a bill requiring Oregon taxpayers to fund unsuccessful
embryonic stem cell research (House Bill 2598).
-- A majority of Americans likely support President Barack Obama's executive order Monday doing away with the rules on federal funding of
embryonic stem cell research that were in place under the Bush administration.
"We will lift the ban on federal funding for promising
embryonic stem cell research," Obama said to vigorous applause at a White House gathering.
Federal funding of
embryonic stem cell research also has the ability to bring some light to a recession-dimmed picture for R&D funding in 2009.
Pro-lifers worked diligently in opposition to the initiative and to bring the truth to the publicthat
embryonic stem cell research has not led to any treatments, that there are successful alternatives being used now, and that ambiguities in the amendment's wording actually remove all restric-tions to
embryonic stem cell research and could lead to human cloning.
Brazil's Supreme Court has ruled that scientists can conduct
embryonic stem cell research, which holds the promise of curing Parkinson's disease and diabetes, but raises ethical concerns about the limits on human life.
We were told that cures would be seen from
embryonic stem cell research for diseases such as Parkinson's and MS, and now from hybrids we are told that cancer and heart disease, along with the others previously mentioned, might be the way forward to finding cures.
Currently,
embryonic stem cell research is denied public funding by law but the Bush administration's position on umbilical cord blood stem cell research is less clear.
On the other hand George Bush and the USA have banned federal funding for such research and have supported ethical stem cell research using non human embryonic tissue, which is making
embryonic stem cell research increasingly redundant.
The debates on both adult and
embryonic stem cell research were dominated by the opposition parties, primarily the Canadian Alliance, which later merged with the Progressive Conservatives to become the Conservative Party, without any significant response from the governing party.
Today,
embryonic stem cell research stands out as a critically important issue about which we have neither ethical consensus nor clear, comprehensive regulation.