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Federal Funding for Embryotic Stem Cell Research, The Facts

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Andrew

Posted: Jan 22 2007, 11:33 AM

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The Stem Cell Race

QUOTE

Both John Kerry and John Edwards regularly declare in their stump speeches that the Bush administration has �banned� stem cell research, which is flatly false. There are in fact no restrictions at all on stem cell research, whether adult or embryonic, in the United States, making this country the most liberal of all the Western democracies on this subject. Using private funds, researchers can do whatever they wish. Using public funds, they can use a fixed group of embryonic stem cells lines, where the embryos in question had already been destroyed before the president�s policy went into effect. There are, as of this writing, 22 embryonic stem cell lines available for federal funding (an increase of three since the last issue of this quarterly journal, with more on the way), and nearly 500 shipments drawn from these lines have already been made to researchers. The NIH provided about $25 million for embryonic stem cell research last year and spent another $180 million on ethically non-controversial adult stem cell work.

To call this a ban would mean that the government has �banned� anything it does not fully subsidize, which would include almost everything anyone does in America. Far from a ban, there is in fact a total absence of limits on stem cell research, along with fairly substantial public subsidies for the work.

Enough of the nonsense, get the facts.

_Z_	Posted: Jan 24 2007, 12:00 AM
O-4 Major Group: Founders Posts: 2,306 Member No.: 2 Joined: 18-November 04	Just out of curiosity, has anyone read Michael Crichton's book- 'Next'?

Ducc	Posted: Jan 24 2007, 12:17 AM
O-4 Major Group: Founders Posts: 2,453 Member No.: 4 Joined: 18-November 04	Yep Pretty good book.

_Z_	Posted: Jan 24 2007, 10:30 AM
O-4 Major Group: Founders Posts: 2,306 Member No.: 2 Joined: 18-November 04	Myself, I'm about half-way through it. So far, I'd describe it as 'sobering', but not necessarily surprising. I liked Crichton's preface- about "this novel being a work of fiction- except for the parts that aren't". I think that's about the best anti-panic disclaimer I've seen yet.

Ducc	Posted: Jan 24 2007, 11:35 AM
O-4 Major Group: Founders Posts: 2,453 Member No.: 4 Joined: 18-November 04	Yea, I liked that too. I am pretty sure it's far out there according to today's science, but it's an interesting read.

_Z_	Posted: Jan 24 2007, 04:12 PM
O-4 Major Group: Founders Posts: 2,306 Member No.: 2 Joined: 18-November 04	I'll reserve a final comment until I'm finished with it. But some parts I've read so far are quite plausible.

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