Obama to Lift Ban on Funding for Embryonic Stem Cell Research
By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 6, 2009; 3:52 PM
President Obama is planning to sign an executive order on Monday rolling back restrictions on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research, according to sources close to the issue.
Although the exact wording of the order has not been revealed, the White House plans an 11 a.m. ceremony to sign the order repealing one of the most controversial steps taken by his predecessor, fulfilling one of Obama's eagerly anticipated campaign promises.
The move, long sought by scientists and patient advocates and opposed by religious groups, would enable the National Institutes of Health to consider requests from scientists to study hundreds of lines of cells that have been developed since the limitations were put in place -- lines that scientists and patient advocate say hold great hope for leading to cures for a host of major ailments. .
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17 comments:
I am not surprised as our President has a personal connection relating to multiple sclerosis and also that fact he is a man of his word..change for all of us.. dreams, now reality..our chance to have our voices united and heard. i know thia is not a political forum, but our President is not the typical politician and we will be hopefully the first picture of medical dreams finally realized.
It's about time.
As soon as it happened. It makes me even more proud to know that I voted for him!
As soon as it happened. It makes me even more proud to know that I voted for him!
OOPS! Can you believe I spelled my own name wrong?! *Please don't answer that!*
Stu,
I saw this story on CNN Friday and was extremely excited at the promise it brings. For many years I've been saying that the cures for so many diseases lies in stem cells. Like you, I am not a big proponent of taking drugs. To me that is more dangerous then using cells which can aid in curing diseases naturally. cell. The only thing that drugs do are alter chemical reactions in the body causing side effects and possible cell damage. You cure diseases with healthy cells that multiply and keep the body strong.
Good for President Obama. Finally we have a President with balls.
Wayne
oy vey. - what are they thinking
JK
It's about time. Having US scientists working with embryonic stem cells collaberatively with scientists in many other nations will make breakthroughs come faster. Hope for all of us.
It's very exciting news and long overdue! Being a Catholic however I have some problems because I believe life begins at conception. However, why can't we use the aborted fetus's; at least they'll have some kind of a chance for life. It's better than destroying all life. I'm being pragmatic because the destruction of any life is wrong to me. There will always be abortions; when it was illegal they were always available to the rich, it's just a fact of life. There are so many abortions we would have more than enough stem cells.
I don't presume to inflict my beliefs on others; this society must become more responsible no matter what they believe; if someone is willingly having an abortion there should be a stipulation to leave the aborted fetus for stem cell research, just like there is a place to leave your organs on a driver license!
Still I long for the day when we don't have to use fetal cells; I believe the time will come when we will be able to regenerate our own cells for these purposes. Until that time comes, much thought and reverence should be the act of any abortion with the fact in mind, those cells are living cells, That is what makes them important, therefore no abortion should be allowed without the signing of a release of those cells to continue life. It might be in another form, but to me the baby would live on in a special way. Only our Creator can judge, yet it seems like a good thing to me and hopefully others who believe life begins at conception. No child should be conceived strictly for stem cells; that is murder.
It's very exciting news and long overdue! Being a Catholic however I have some problems because I believe life begins at conception. However, why can't we use the aborted fetus's; at least they'll have some kind of a chance for life. It's better than destroying all life. I'm being pragmatic because the destruction of any life is wrong to me. There will always be abortions; when it was illegal they were always available to the rich, it's just a fact of life. There are so many abortions we would have more than enough stem cells.
I don't presume to inflict my beliefs on others; this society must become more responsible no matter what they believe; if someone is willingly having an abortion there should be a stipulation to leave the aborted fetus for stem cell research, just like there is a place to leave your organs on a driver license!
Still I long for the day when we don't have to use fetal cells; I believe the time will come when we will be able to regenerate our own cells for these purposes. Until that time comes, much thought and reverence should be the act of any abortion with the fact in mind, those cells are living cells, That is what makes them important, therefore no abortion should be allowed without the signing of a release of those cells to continue life. It might be in another form, but to me the baby would live on in a special way. Only our Creator can judge, yet it seems like a good thing to me and hopefully others who believe life begins at conception. No child should be conceived strictly for stem cells; that is murder.
Phyllis - there Are other form of Stem Cell Therapy. Adult Stem Cells uses the patients own marrow or that of a matching relative. Blood is another item being researched and then there is the method found in the article just posted to this blog, this afternoon Titled: A novel way to make human stem cells from skin without the risk of disease caused by genetic manipulation ---
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I too have always wondered why an aborted fetus could not be used for stem cell harvesting?
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I am cautiously optimistic. I think that there could potentially be great strides made with these cells, with respect to many disease processes. But as someone who has been in the medical field for over 25 years, all this tinkering on a cellular level makes me a little nervous as well.
Do I hope and pray they find a cure for MS, cancer and a host of other terrible diseases? Of course I do. And I applaud the medical researchers who put their whole lives into trying to discover ways to battle these diseases - my son is going into medical research himself, largely because he has been witness to my struggle with MS and the limited options to treat it.
All I am saying is that there is still so much unknown in this realm, especially in relation to the long term. The media tends to trumpet the potential of new treatments and gloss over the flip side - the risks, the complications, the costs to the patient - just as they have largely done recently with the small scale research study of stem cell transplants in multiple sclerosis.
Medications certainly are no perfect solution, and the long term damage they often do to our bodies certainly can't be disputed. But how will our bodies react to cellular treatments 10 or 20 years down the road?
Cells are living organisms. If we are able to manipulate them to our benefit, in the tightly controlled environment of the lab, can they also change on their own in some way, after they are in a patient's body long term - and exposed to whatever that person is now exposed to ... other medications they take, toxins they are exposed to, even other disease processes that may take place in the body??
So, yes, I think it is definitely wonderful that this realm can now be explored to a much larger extent. I also think the idea of using stem cells from aborted fetuses is great. As Phyllis said, at least something potentially good could come out of such a devastating situation. I just also think that the use of stem cells needs to be approached very cautiously.
This is great news and long over-due!!
This is great news! My Neuro has told me years ago that this will be the cure for MS(HOPEFULLY)
While I am MS advocate and do have MS and Transverse Myelitis I can not be in support for using dead babies to save my life in this fashion. I would rather be in my wheel chair the rest of my life. I can only say is the people will get what they deserve in the President they voted for.I for one pray for him each and every day.
Hurray. God bless him. And all of us who have waited for this news.
I have MS and I would rather have MS than have another innocent life destroyed. Why is our illness more important than the life of a child, a child that may have found the cure without the use of dead babies? This country and this President is disgraceful.
I too agree with this new resaerch in a limited way. I agree with the knowledge but disagree with the killing of one life to benefit another. I would not want mass abortions for science. There must be other ways to do this too.
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