Free the Stem Cells! (You Promised.)
By Pat Racimora on February 18, 2009 at 1:10 AM in Current Affairs, Stem Cell Research
(bumped up from early Tuesday afternoon by Susan)
One of the most compelling pledges made by Barack Obama on the campaign trail was the reversal of the executive order set forth by George W. Bush drastically limiting the use of embryonic stem cells in federally-funded research.
It seemed unthinkable that embryos destined for the dumper anyway took precedent over the potential to find cures for adult diabetes, Parkinson’s, and many other debilitating diseases that that ravage millions of fully-formed, living human beings.
So, needless to say, hearts sank when now President Obama was asked on January 16th, 2009, if he was now going to use his executive power to swiftly lift the federal ban on embryonic stem cell research as promised. His answer was more than disappointing:
Well, if we can do something legislative then I usually prefer a legislative process because those are the people’s representatives. And I think that on embryonic stem cell research, the fact that you have a bipartisan support around that issue, the fact that you have Republicans like Orrin Hatch who are fierce opponents of abortion and yet recognize that there is a moral and ethical mechanism to ensure that people with Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s can actually find potentially some hope out there, you know, I think that sends a powerful message.
So we’re still examining what things we’ll do through executive order. But I like the idea of the American people’s representatives expressing their views on an issue like this.
We would have to wait for Congress to get an act together. That could take months or even years. Why? Many thought it was because he was afraid to actually take a controversial stand all by himself. He hasn’t been known for that kind of courage.
I don’t know exactly what happened, and that key is not in the lock yet, but Obama’s primary strategist, David Axelrod, stated last Sunday that we can expect an executive order soon allowing federal funding for embryonic research. Yes!
Who knows what may have changed President Obama’s mind. Surely he was hounded by those who were counting on his promise-keeping. Maybe he wants to show Congress that he can take charge, following on his not-so-successful attempt to bring them quickly on board with his stimulus package.
Whatever the reason, this is great news. We won’t see cures overnight, of course. But we are late getting started, and the promise is great. Stay tuned…
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