TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Obama Limits Stem Cell Debate To Scientific Inquiry

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 11, 2009

President Obama may have made the right decision when he lifted the Bush-era restrictions on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research.

But it is unfortunate that in fulfilling that campaign promise he gave short shrift to the moral and ethical concerns of millions of Americans who believe the derivation of stem cells from an embryo snuffs out life in its earliest stages.

The president said those concerns should be treated with respect, but he not only eliminated President Bush's embryo research policy outright, he also put an end to Bush's program providing federal support for promising research on other sources of stem cells (from adults, umbilical cord blood and skin, among others) that don't have moral and religious implications.
Obama should have made clear whether funding for embryonic research would be limited to embryos abandoned in infertility clinics or would extend even to embryos created specifically for experimentation, which should be unthinkable.

Science may compel the research, but as the National Review points out, "With this week's executive order, Obama has not so much staked out a position in the embryo debate as dismissed the debate itself as unnecessary."

For Obama, a "person of faith," the science - and the possible benefits to humanity derived from it - rules supreme. He seems to have equated the moral and ethical questions arising from this new era in biotechnology with ideology - they are not the same thing - and dismissed them outright.

He promises the study of science under his administration will not be driven by ideology, and yet it can be argued that those who support extending federal funding for embryonic stem cell research have been as ideologically driven as the opposition.

When President Bush announced his embryo policy in August 2001, he tried a compromise. He allowed federal funding for research using stem cell lines created before the announcement but refused to use federal money in the destruction of other embryos - no matter how noble the purpose. He attempted to mesh the science and ethics.

It would appear the new president doesn't see the need to try. That's too bad. Obama should give credence to those who believe embryonic stem cell research places us on the slippery slope toward human exploitation. He must understand that despite his assertion that most people support his efforts, many of those same people, as well as opponents of embryonic research, think the idea of unfettered research is repulsive, if not immoral or utterly evil.

This editorial board, which supported Bush's policy initially, saw the need for more and faster scientific research using stem cells and called on the president to allow funding for research using embryos abandoned in infertility clinics. But we also recognize the legitimate moral questions raised by opponents of human embryonic stem cell research.
Obama is giving the National Institutes of Health four months to come up with regulatory guidelines for the conduct of research, but the political, ethical and religious questions won't go away. The president must address them with more candor and respect.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT