Monday, March 09, 2009

Obama reverses Bush's Stem Cell restraints

Let's see if any conservatives will have the guts to go after Nancy Reagan:
"I’m very grateful that President Obama has lifted the restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research," she wrote in a statement released shortly after Obama signed an executive order lifting the Bush-era restrictions. "These new rules will now make it possible for scientists to move forward. I urge researchers to make use of the opportunities that are available to them, and to do all they can to fulfill the promise that stem cell research offers."

Nancy Reagan has been an outspoken advocate of stem-cell research – and scientists hope that the research could someday lead to cure to Alzheimer’s disease, which afflicted her husband, Ronald Reagan.

Reagan continued, "Countless people, suffering from many different diseases, stand to benefit from the answers stem cell research can provide. We owe it to ourselves and to our children to do everything in our power to find cures for these diseases – and soon. As I’ve said before, time is short, and life is precious."
Come on, Rush, tell us what you really think.

(via BarbinMD from DailyKos)

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amazing news for scientists! Finally, it has been done, well done Mr. Obama. I'm very astonished he had the guts to make this decision since there is so much criticism on this topic. But it had to be done. Even if ESCR will save one human life a year it will be worth it. It will only help to save peoples lives. Now scientists need to get back to work and take this opportunity and make some use of it.

Take care, Julie

CT Bob said...

Thanks Julie, I agree; it's amazing news for everyone! We'll all benefit from the medical advances stem cells will bring.

I especially like that Obama has said he won't try to legislate science for political purposes, or suppress scientific evidence that doesn't support any specific agenda. He'll do something that will finally bring us out of the "Bush dark ages": he'll allow scientists to do the research they're supposed to!

Anonymous said...

If its such a great need why hasn't private enterprise jumped all over this or are they waiting for some pork/earmark funding

CT Bob said...

Because the results aren't immediately financially rewarding. That's the reason gov't funding is so important. It might take ten or twenty years to realize widespread benefit, and private enterprise is all about short-term profits.

Anonymous said...

This was a wonderful ruling but it is puzzling that the President of the United States had to take the time out of his busy schedule to do this.
It also bothers me that another president in the future can come along and set us back a few centuries with the stroke of his pen with no iterference from the congress. Democracy? JC Sr

CT Bob said...

Unlike our last president, Barack Obama has a competent, informed staff, who do their homework and actually assist him with creating helpful policies.

Bush's politically-driven decision to push medical science out of the forefront to make room for policies created by misguided bible thumpers has put us back nearly a decade in important research. Barack Obama is working to repair that mistake.

CT Bob said...

(CT Joyce loves my cute little stem cell graphic)