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The following editorial appears in Sunday's issue of The Oregonian. Tony Mazzaschi AAMC Multiplying stem-cell research could boost healing all around An issue that was decisive in Missouri should push Congress to move forward Sunday, January 07, 2007 I f the 110th Congress moves forward, as planned, to expand stem-cell research, it will be a huge victory for millions of Americans. Sadly, some will no doubt be too preoccupied to celebrate. Either they or a relative suffers from spinal-cord injuries, juvenile diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Lou Gehrig's disease or another cruel disorder. For all these Americans, expansion of federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research represents their best, and in many cases their last and only, hope. The Democrats who now control Congress say more research money is one of their top priorities, something they hope to accomplish in their first 100 hours in power. It actually won't be too surprising if they can do this. The Republicans were almost able to do it when they were in charge of Congress. A bill expanding embryonic stem-cell research passed, but President Bush vetoed it last summer. It was a veto that polls at the time showed the majority of Americans did not appreciate. It's time for the president to reconsider his position, out of respect for the many Americans who have come to their own ethical positions on this issue. An Associated Press-AOL News poll last week found that about 56 percent of Americans now favor easing restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research. The more people learn about it, the more they tend to see why it's important, even urgent, to expand it. So long as the proper consents are obtained from all involved, this research can be conducted in an ethical way, since embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos left over from fertility treatments and destined to be discarded anyway. Few people can be untouched by the humanitarian arguments in favor of expanding the research, but they are buttressed by strong economic arguments. In Missouri last fall, the Senate race turned on the issue. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D.-Mo, won her seat in part because of her support for a ballot measure clarifying that state law permits stem cell research. McCaskill's victory, in turn, helped hand the Senate, narrowly, to the D's. In Missouri, both the ethical and the economic arguments proved compelling. As former Missouri Sen. John Danforth, a Republican, put it last fall, "My entire political career, I voted pro-life, and that is exactly why I favor the stem cell initiative. I believe in saving human life." But Danforth also warned his former constituents that voting to thwart stem-cell research could sabotage Missouri's biomedical industry. In 2001, President Bush curtailed federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research, limiting it to some pre-existing lines of embryonic stem cells, many of which later proved to be unusable. This hasn't stopped all research; other nations around the world, at least six states and a number of private philanthropists are scurrying to fill the gap. Nevertheless, the president's unnecessary restrictions on federal funding have left a huge vacuum, holding U.S. researchers back and crushing the hopes of people ravaged by terrible diseases. No cures are guaranteed in any venue, of course, whether in politics or in the laboratory. But it would be therapeutic if Congress and the president could start the year off with a huge success, one with the potential to touch the lives -- and mitigate the suffering -- of millions of Americans. ___________________________________________ CAMR.friends mailing list [log in to unmask] http://www.freehood.net/mailman/listinfo/camr.friends ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn