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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial: Sense on stem cells Bush shouldn't oppose valuable research Thursday, June 14, 2001 Within the next few weeks, President Bush will have to wrestle with competing recommendations from top advisers and decide whether to permit federal funding for stem-cell research using human embryos. On the one side are the health and science experts, as well as his own secretary for Health and Human Services, who recognize the tremendous potential that stem-cell research offers in finding cures for debilitating diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and juvenile diabetes. The cells may also help heal serious burns and crippling spinal cord injuries. On the other side are political advisers who fear a backlash from the Roman Catholic Church and conservative Republicans who see the use of week-old frozen embryos as a form of abortion and therefore insupportable. If the president makes his decision based on the best interest of the nation, and the will of the majority of its people -- including Catholics and fundamentalists -- it will be no contest. Using that criterion, President Bush would have to approve continued use of federal funds for this promising field of research. Stem cells are cells that have not yet specialized to perform a specific task, but can take on the character of virtually any cell in the body. Early studies show they may be capable of repairing what goes wrong with other cells, and so may hold the key to curing diseases and conditions that attack on the cellular level. The cells exist in adults, and recent research has indicated that those cells may be more beneficial than had previously been thought. But the prevailing view of scientists holds that the cells found in fetal tissue and fertilized eggs still hold out more promise because they may be more adaptable. Thus, most scientists oppose abandoning that very important research. If the researchers had to go out and fertilize human eggs to create the embryos for their studies, the issue would be more troublesome and difficult to sort out. But the fact is, tens of thousands of frozen embryos already exist in fertility clinics around the nation. If they are not used for federal research, they will simply be destroyed -- or even worse, they could be used for unregulated and uncontrolled experiments that do not involve federal funding. It should not even be a close call for the president. But if Mr. Bush's attention drifts from science and health, and fixes instead on presidential politics and those all-important primaries in which the far right wing of the party wields disproportionate influence, he very well could order a halt to the funding. Political considerations and special interests control much of what passes for government in Washington and around the country. But it is seldom that the choice is so transparent and the stakes so high. It may have been presidential politics, rather than deep-seated conviction, that led Mr. Bush during the campaign to declare his opposition to stem-cell research using embryos. Those within the administration who favor the research are poring over his campaign comments to see if there is enough wiggle room to countenance continued federal funding under certain circumstances. That seems an oddly quaint exercise. http://www.post-gazette.com/forum/19991004edstem0614enp2.asp ************* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn