There are no scientific papers reflecting ANY success with fetal stem cells.  It's just the abortionist spin on partial birth abortion (murder), based on lies that keep the lunitic fringe (present company included) worked up about this.

RLTW is correct, in the narrow sense, that George W. forbade  federal funding for stem cell research, except for a few cell lines of limited utility. His policy also left the door open for privately-funded research on this topic.

Nevertheless, George W.'s policy has effectively crippled research progress on stem cells. Although private research plays important roles in the U.S. (e.g., development of billion-dollar a year drugs for defined illnesses such as high serum cholesterol, arthritis etc.), it should be recognized that almost all "basic" research is conducted by federally-funded academic researchers. "Basic" research usually provides the fundamental underpinnings for medical breakthroughs, without itself directly yielding commercial therapies. Unfortunately, George W.'s stem cell policy has resulted in a defacto ban on this research in traditional medical centers. Academic researchers tend to shy away from such politicized research areas, knowing that their funding may dry up with slight shifts in policy.

One of RLTW's websites cites a New England Journal Medicine article that accurately describes how George W.'s policy is obstructing this work.

Title: "Missed Opportunities in Embryonic Stem-Cell Research" by George Daley, M.D., Ph.D.


Summary: "Three years have passed since August 9, 2001, when President George W. Bush drew a line in the sand: he announced that research on human embryonic stem cells created before that date would be supported by federal dollars; research on lines created later would not. The President's policy has severely curtailed opportunities for U.S. scientists to study the cell lines that have since been established, many of which have unique attributes or represent invaluable models of human disease."

Stem cell research is an exciting new discipline, offering the potential for novel therapies for a wide range of diseases. Just today (see link), there was a report in Lancet of a new jawbone grown with the aid of stem cells and implanted in a patient. Note that this revolutionary procedure was done in Germany, not the U.S. If procedures such as this are validated and repeated, it won't be long before the U.S. finds itself in a scientific backwater.

Is that it added tons of paperwork to and years of approval time to private research and opened it up to limitless litigation and assorted harassment.

Yes, you can do it privately.  That's misleading, however. You can't do it without a "license" somewhere, but it's the executive branch that grants the "licenses" and collects the "license fees" and sets the schedule. Don't think the Bush administration is going to be a push-over about any of this.  

Information about that is damn harder to find.

I encourage you to either look or follow your own advice and run now, because my opinion is unchanged.

/Zin

You are right about there not being a broad based ban on stem cell research.  But you are wrong that the ban that exists on government funding of such research has not brought it to a standstill in this country.  All key pioneering medical research has been government funded simply because few private companies will fund research that does not hold some promise of a marketable product in a few years.  Most of the work with stem cells is highly theoretical and to be fairly frank, somewhat speculative.  But those two characteristics are the conerstones of ground breaking research, and as I pointed out, such research very seldom is taken on by private companies in the absence of some government subsidy.

Yes, but the quote applies to some in bad ways. Especially those who somehow believe they are closer to God or on a mission from God (John Belushi is rolling in his grave).  

It's all relative (IMO).  

-- Modified on 8/27/2004 11:18:44 AM