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Stifling stem cells Saturday, August 11, 2001 WHEN POLITICS dictates to science, the results can be awkward. Such is the case with stem cell research, which President Bush tried to box in with a paper-thin compromise. Research all you want, Bush suggested, but stick with the current supply of human embryos that provide stem cells. And don't expect major federal money for an initiative that sails close to ticklish issues of abortion, cloning and bio-engineering. In political terms, Bush moved to the center and away from past pledges to oppose stem research. The subject infuriates anti-abortion forces because it involves destroying days-old embryos to obtain starter cells that can be coaxed into distinct organs or tissue. To scientists, Bush undercut a promising field. Stem cells hold the potential to cure diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and diabetes. Bush's hesitance will chase specialists away, either to less restrictive countries, such as Britain, or to research fields that hold less promise. To his advisers, it appears that Bush may have finessed a workable compromise. It's worth noting his solution resembles a stance taken by Bill Clinton, a master fence-sitter, who approved similar limits. Bush's stance doesn't settle the issue entirely. Private firms can still operate with no oversight, peer review or federal control. Federal research drives most scientific inquiry in this country, but not all of it. It also demonstrates how special-interest politics, in this case the anti-abortion movement, can dictate policy on an issue of sweeping importance to everyone from researcher to suffering patient. Stem cells remain a tantalizing opportunity, a chance for pure science to emerge from the laboratory with a practical cure for a range of diseases and conditions. Bush knows this, but could only come half way in accepting his duty to all of society. SOURCE: The San Francisco Chronicle Page A - 16 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/08/11/ED218186.DTL * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn