Current Event Report II PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 4
Current Event Report IIReligion and Philosophy HUM 400 003016The Washington PostObama Reverses Bush Policy on Stem Cell ResearchObama Reverses Bush Policy on Stem Cell ResearchThe article that I chose for my current event report is about the ban on federal funding being lifted for stem cell research. In 2001, formal President George Bush limited federal funding for embryonic stem cell research to 21 stem cell lines by placing a ban on it, he stated that "Extracting the stem cell destroys the embryo, and thus destroys its potential for life". On Monday, March 09, 2009, President Barack Obama lifted the eight year old ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research that Bush had placed into effect. President Obama believed that these tiny cells may possibly cure some of our most devastating diseases.President Barack Obama overturned the restriction and is requesting more funds to be used for the stem cell research and he also lifted the prohibition on U.S. funding for international groups that promote abortion and proposed rescinding job protections for health care workers who refuses to perform procedures that conflicts with their moral beliefs. This is the third time that President Obama had to reversed Bush era policies at the intersection of public health goals and ethical questions in regards to the human nature of life.The article stated that "President Obama said that '…majority of American support lifting the federal funding ban, which would allow researchers to begin using hundreds of already-created embryonic stem cell lines for work on cures for cancer, heart diseases, and other illnesses". So as to fence off scientific research from political influence, President Obama signed the order and a second memo so as to shield it from abolition. He also stated that "promoting science isn't just providing resources… it's also about protecting free and open inquiry." During President Obama campaign he promised to make scientific innovation a guiding principle of his administration and was very careful not to ignore social issues that are currently on the edge.President Obama supports the researchers in view of the fact that they can develop any type of cell in the body, but many social conservatives opposes of this. He admits that many thoughtful and decent people are conflicted about, or strongly oppose to this research. As a person of faith, he believes that we are called to care for each other and to work to ease human suffering.After reading the article, Obama Reverses Bush Policy on Stem Cell Research, I notice that embryonic stem cell research has been an issue for long time. It first started in the mid 1800s when scientists discovered that a number of cells can produce other cells. Then in 1994, formal President Clinton prohibited federal funding on the stem cell research which leads to Federal Laws to be put in place to ban the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from funding Human Embryo Research. After formal President Bush election, Stem Cell Research was one of his many focuses in the beginning of his presidency but on August 9, 2001, he reached a compromise with the researchers, by informing them that the government would continue to fund the embryonic stem cell research, except for any stem cell lines that leads to embryos being destroyed. Basically, he banned the Federal Funding for research into stem lines, because in order to do this research embryos will be destroyed.In conclusion, I personally believe that President Barack Obama decision on lifting the eight year old ban on Federal Funding for the embryonic stem cell research is a starting point for scientist or researches to find a cure for the many illnesses or diseases we are facing. I also believe that this will give some people hope that there would be chance for them to live. There will always be pros and cons to this research and there shall always be people that will be against stem cell research due to their moral concerns or ethics; but it will all leads to one important aspect, finding cures to many diseases, in the present and also in the future.ReferencesWilson, S. (2009), Obama Reverses Bush Policy on Stem Cell Research: The Ban onFederal Funding is lifted, Retrieved from the web on March 10, 2009 at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/09/AR2009030901194_pf.html
