Stem cell research debated in campaign

By Tom Strode - Aug 13, 2004 - comment

First lady Laura Bush has defended her husband’s restriction on government funds for destructive stem cell research against criticism by Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.

The first lady’s response came Aug. 9 and demonstrated the significant role the issue could play in this year’s election. On the same day, John Edwards, Kerry’s running mate, affirmed the Democratic ticket’s support not only for embryonic stem cell research but for human cloning for experimentation purposes.

In a speech to the Pennsylvania Medical Society, the first lady said government officials should consider the “ethical and moral implications” of the research, The Associated Press reported.

“I hope stem cell research will yield cures,” Bush said in her speech, according to The Washington Post. But “we don’t even know that stem cell research will provide cures for anything—much less that it’s very close” to such cures, she said.

She apparently was speaking of embryonic stem cells, since non-embryonic stem cells already have produced effective therapies.

Her defense came on the third anniversary of President Bush’s announcement of his policy on stem cell research. Bush’s 2001 order blocked federal funds for stem cell research that requires the destruction of embryos but permitted grants for research on stem cell colonies already in existence. His order did not prohibit privately funded embryonic experimentation or federal funding of non-embryonic stem cell research.

The act of extracting embryonic stem cells destroys the embryo, which is usually five or six days old.

Kerry described Bush’s policy as a “far-reaching ban on stem cell research” during his radio address Aug. 7.

The first lady rejected Kerry’s description of her husband’s policy as a ban. “That’s so ridiculous,” she said, AP reported. Kerry is seeking to turn the President’s policy into a political issue “without saying what’s right,” she said. “I imagine he knows better.”

Though some members of Congress are pushing legislation to fund some embryonic stem cell research, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert have indicated such a bill is unlikely to be considered as a stand-alone measure this year.

The ERLC and other pro-life organizations oppose embryonic stem cell research because of its harm to the embryo. They, however, support research using stem cells from adults and other sources, such as umbilical cord blood and placentas. Procuring stem cells from such sources is harmless to the donors.

Research using stem cells from non-embryonic sources already has produced successful treatments for more than 40 diseases and afflictions, according to reports. Remedies have been reported for maladies such as heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, sickle cell anemia and spinal cord injuries.

So far, embryonic stem cell research has produced no effective treatments in human beings and has had a tendency to generate tumors in laboratory animals.

Further Learning

Learn more about: Life, Stem-Cell Research

Post a Comment




Notify me of follow-up comments?

Before You Submit Your Comment (below), Read This:

Thank you for your interest in the ministry of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (SBC).

Comments are moderated to preserve the family-oriented nature of this website and in an attempt to avoid comment spam. We welcome opposing viewpoints, and we will not turn comments away as long as your views are presented with respect to everyone.

Your comments will not appear immediately and are subject to editing or deletion. We will make every attempt to check new comments in a timely manner, though there will likely be delays on the weekends and around holidays.

Please follow the these guidelines to insure your comments will be posted:

  1. Use a real name, at least a real first name. We find folks are less-rude online when not hiding behind a screen-name.
  2. Name-calling and vulgar-language will not be tolerated. Zero-tolerance is our policy. We will not spend time editing profanity. If it contains foul language, your post will be deleted. Oh, and we decide what is and what is not vulgar.
  3. Comments must be on topic. General comments (compliments, complaints, and otherwise) are best delivered here or expressed on your own personal Web site.
  4. And please, do not type in ALL CAPS. It looks like you're screaming at people.

Additionally, within Baptist polity, please recognize that many issues and decisions are addressed at a local church level. SBC denominational (national) offices have no control and desire no control over the activities of a local church. This entity is not responsible for overseeing and insuring the ethical behavior of Southern Baptist pastors or church members. If your concern involves a legal civil or criminal matter, we suggest you contact the proper local officials.

Issues involving pastoral staff or other church members, local Baptist associations or state Baptist conventions are local issues. Therefore the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission cannot and should not address such issues. While we regret we are unable to assist you, we encourage you to seek a biblical resolution of the issue at the local church level. If your question or submission pertains to a matter covered in this text, it is likely we will not acknowledge your submission.

Other than that, we welcome you and hope to see thoughtful discussions at ERLC.com