March 9, 2009 – President Obama overturned yet another one of Bush’s policies. This time Obama removed the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. He signed an executive order clearing the way for a significant increase in federal tax dollar funding. In the fall of 2001, President Bush decided to allow federal funding of embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) in a very limited way. Only those stem cell lines harvested from living embryos prior to his decision were eligible for tax-dollar funding. It should be noted that under both President Bush and President Obama private funding for embryonic stem cell research was/is allowed.
D: Most Americans are ill-informed about the specifics of stem cell research. This move by Obama does give some hope. But based on current research he may be giving people a false sense of hope. To date, research on embryonic stem cells has resulted in no promising results in curing any diseases or bodily injury. Also there is much criticism on embryonic stem cell research because a living human embryo is killed in the process of harvesting the cells. So people believe man is playing the role of God by killing human life form and harvesting (creating) new human life cells. Embryonic stem research also presents opportunity for human cloning which is taboo in human society. Furthermore, opponents argue there is a better alternative. Adult stem cells (as opposed to embryonic stem cells) can be harvested without a loss of life (destroying an embryo), and they are readily available from bone marrow, skin, fat, umbilical cord blood and other sources. Adult stems cell research can not lead to human cloning. In their September 3, 2001 issue, Forbes Magazine provided additional confirmation that adult stem cell research is far more successful that embryonic stem cell experimentation