President Obama’s move to lift restrictions on federally financed embryonic stem-cell research is a ray of hope for millions of people suffering from a range of chronic or life-threatening illnesses.
Finally, researchers will have greater leeway to pursue work that could lead to cures for cancers, diabetes, spinal cord damage and Parkinson’s.
But the president’s executive order repealing Bush-era prohibitions is only the first step.
Congress must pass legislation that cements the changes into law, and consider other moves that will allow researchers a greater range of freedom and support to conduct research in an ethical way.
At issue are the restrictions then-President Bush enacted eight years ago that elevated politics above science. Bush banned the use of tax dollars for embryonic stem-cell research on anything but 21 existing stem-cell lines — those that already had been derived from embryos.
U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, has for years led the way to reverse the order. In 2006 and 2007, Congress passed bills overturning the restrictions, but both were vetoed by Bush.
Obama’s executive order means that researchers using other stem- cell lines — some 1,000 have been created via private funding — can now apply for federal funding.
His executive order is a milestone, but as DeGette has acknowledged, much work remains to be done in Congress. That includes taking on Dickey-Wicker, an amendment passed by Congress each year that prohibits federal funding for research that creates or destroys embryos. Such a debate promises to raise a host of political and moral issues.
First, embryos used in research ought to be those that otherwise would be slated for destruction. As it stands now, embryos left over after couples go through infertility treatments often are simply discarded.
Proper consent from the parents has to be obtained before stem cells are extracted and the embryos destroyed.
Also looming in the background is the topic of human cloning. President Obama on Monday drew a firm line in opposition to human cloning, an issue often brought up in conjunction with stem-cell research.
Obama called human cloning “dangerous” and “profoundly wrong.” We agree and hope Congress ensures that further federally funded research steers clear of such areas.
The lifting of the Bush-era prohibitions is a laudable step forward. Continued progress on expanding federally funded stem-cell research carries powerful potential, and needs to be handled with caution.
