|
|
|
|
Pete’s Perspective on Stem Cell Research Regulations
Washington,
Apr 21 -
Last month, President Obama overturned an executive order that prohibited government-financed research on embryonic stem cell lines. The new executive order will allow American taxpayer dollars to fund research that involves the destruction of human embryos. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) last week released draft guidelines based upon the executive order for federal stem cell research.
The guidelines present a few concerns. First, the guidelines as written allow for further expansion of embryo destructive research, leaving the door open for more liberal embryonic research policies such as removing consent rules and creating stem cell lines for research rather than reproduction.
Second, the guidelines simply state that physicians who are providing medical services to in vitro fertilization patients should not also conduct research on embryonic stem cells. There is no enforcement policy to prevent doctors from conducting research on embryos that were once involved in their patient’s reproductive treatment, creating conflict of interest concerns.
Third, the guidelines expand the scope of the federally-funded embryonic research. To date embryonic stem cell research has not resulted in the cure for any illness or disease. Increasing research capacity does not mean that medical breakthroughs will occur soon.
Taxpayers should not be forced to fund or participate in the destruction of human life at any stage of development. The government should fund adult stem cell research that is on the cutting edge of treating diabetes, spinal cord injuries, heart disease and certain cancers.
|
Print version of this document
|
