Ban on Stem Cell Research Funding Lifted. Break out the Champagne?

Obama today lifted the 8 year ban on federal funding for stem-cell research by executive order. Given the headlines I thought this would be a good time to resurface the (friendly) debate.

I read the book by Ian Wilmut and Keith Campbell almost 10 years ago- about Dolly the sheep, about biomedical research, and about it's promises. Here is my argument supporting stem cell research.

Do you know anyone with one or more of the following?

Parkinsons, Alzheimer's diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, leukemia, lymphoma, liver disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis, brain disease, blindness, deafness, HIV, or aids?

Studies show these can all be treated or even cured using stem cell treatment. Recently, there are reports of a low-cost procedure to -cure- heart attacks using stem cells (see link below).

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/articl...

What's more important? The survival of an embryonic cell or the survival of the boy in the article below? His fatal disease was -cured- using stem cells.

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/07/...

Some individuals say killing embryonic cells is equivalent to murder- but by that logic don't I commit mass murder every time I sneeze, or scratch my arm, as both actions kill millions of cells?

Shane- read the title of my question- i am not misinformed. You just are'nt reading the question

I'm breaking out the champagne for A LOT of things he's done this short week. Good for him. People who are against stem cell research are more commonly misinformed on what it is and don't understand the science of it. I hope we get some good results from this research soon because it's been a LONG time coming.
And yes bush didn't ban the research but he banned federal funding which is how a lot of companies and researchers get their money. So it did put a HUGE damper in being able to research and having pharmacy companies even wanting to try. Again some people don't know what they are talking about.

Anyway, Hooray Obama!

You are misinformed. Bush did not ban stem cell research; he banned federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Research using adult stem cells has shown promising results. If the use of embryonic stem cells in research would yield all the results you listed, than why would private pharma companies not fund it?

think about that!

i was diagnosed with cmt
charcot marie toothe syndrome
and their is no cure for it and it is the same as multiple sclerosis
and i welcome the research of stem cells
some may say i am selfish for supporting it
but if it will help me i would love to have my disease cured

I agree with the research. I'm glad the ban was lifted. I'm just sorry we had to waste 8 years of research time. Just imagine how far ahead we could have been! Sad...there could already be a cure for fatal disease... Thanks for the thoughtful information. :-)

It never was banned the only thing banned was government money paying for it

Woohoo! More of my tax dollars wasted on research that produces nothing!

he should of been in pakistan today scraping those rocks from those children he bombed.i'm sure there were stem cells everywhere!

I agree that we should allow this line of research.

BRAVO!!! I hadn't heard that.

He also lifted the ban on federal funding for abortions. Here is the real issue. A large number of people do not want their tax money spent on things that are against their principles or religion. For instance, a good number of people don'e want their tax dollars funding the murder of children. So why the hell can't people pay for their own abortions and their own stemcells. Why does it have to come from the tax payers? Pharmaceutical companies don't have money to pay for research when they are charging 20$ a pill for some meds? Gimme a break.

Uh... the only ban was on federal support of NEW lines of embryonic stem-cell research. He funded all the other stem-cell research. They have even found a way to get pluripotent adult stem cells.

And Bush was the FIRST president to fund embryonic stem-cell research, though on existing lines only.

He believes that it is wrong to deliberately destroy human life, in whatever form, for scientific exploration. A lot of people support that belief.

As for the diseases - while there exists the BELIEF that embryonic stem-cell research will find cures, it remains a belief; it's not a fact and it's years and years away from even determining if they can be used.

The existing and near term medical treatments are using ADULT stem-cells, by the way.

You seem to be poorly informed about things.