Stem Cell Research Ban Ended
The debate regarding the stem cell research has been present for a while. Initially a judge banned the researches done on them even though the Obama administration stated that the research could be very helpful as they could offer potential for very important medical discoveries. Many were against the researches done on the stem cells, considering them to be immoral, and ever since then, there have been mixed opinions about them.
After the decisions made by the judge, a change has occurred, as a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday that the federal financing of embryonic stem cell research could continue while the court will take a decision about the judge’s order from last month. The decision made by the United States Court of Appeals is considered to be very important, because many of the mice used for the researches and the cells in petri dishes might be saved. The scientists were in the danger of receiving a suspension from the paychecks, but that has changed for the moment. These were the arguments which the Obama administration made, and these might be the reasons why the researches on stem cells have continued.
If the decision will remain active for a while, then the National Institute of Health could provide the $78 million to the 44 scientists whose research the agency had previously decided to finance. The stay is also very useful for the Congress because during this time, it would have time to think about the legislation, and to find out a way of rendering the ban and the case behind it. There have been some people who have stated that they are against the stem cell research, but most of them have declared that they consider the research to be a good thing. The support of the people might be just the thing that the Obama administration needed.
Representative Diana DeGette, Democrat of Colorado stated that she has received calls from numerous people from the government who have stated that they are supporters of the stem cell research. If you think about it, there is no reason to ban it. First of all, the stem cells are not obtained from babies, as it was initially believed, but they are obtained from the umbilical cord. On top of that, the stem cell research is a way better method of finding potential solutions for certain types of diseases. Researches made on mice are not so effective and conclusive, and the scientists believe that the best method of finding proper solutions for those problems would be through the stem cell researches.
As you might have expected, the appeals court’s ruling was welcomed by the supporters of the stem cell research and it was contested by the people who are against it. One thing is for certain, and that is that the decision about research has been surrounded by a cloud of mystery ever since Chief Judge Royce C. Lamberth of Federal District Court for the District of Columbia ruled on 23 of August that the stem cell rules violated a legislative ruling. The judges allowed both of the sides to file their written arguments by September 20. Carl W. Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, stated that he was sure that the appeal court would overturn Judge Lamberth’s ban.
He stated that he was certain of the decision because Judge Lambert has been criticized numerous times, especially when it comes to this particular case. Many have said that his decision was taken in the wrong manner, and he did not have enough evidences to ban the researches. Steven Aden is the lawyer for two researchers who have stated that the research on embryonic stem cells is unethical. He believes that the pause is just a “timeout”, and he is optimistic that the ban will be applied again after this brief hiatus.
Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the Justice Department stated that the government was happy that such a decision was made, because it believes that the researches which are done on the stem cells can save lives, and it hopes that they will continue to allow the researches to take place in the future as well. The stem cells were discovered in 1998 and their main characteristic is the fact that they can morph into any cell in the body. This provides lots of opportunities, the main ones being that they might have the capacity of producing new organs. In some of the cases the stem cells are obtained from the human embryos that are several days old, and because of that, the embryos are destroyed in the process.
Because of this, some of the people from the anti-abortion movement say that the stem cell research is murder. In many of the cases the couples who had had the embryos created in fertility centers but no longer needed them donated them for science. This is the main reason why some people do not see the stem cell research as murder. The people who owned the cells donated them willingly, but even so, there are some who say that the process is immoral. It makes you wonder sometimes if some of these people argue for a cause, or only for the sake of arguing.
Judge Lamberth’s order threatened lots of projects, and amongst them was the one of Dr. Ira J. Fox, a professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. He used the embryonic cells in order to transplant new liver cells into animals. Dr. Xuejun Parsons of the University of California, Riverside also has a project who is threatened by the court’s decision. He was working on finding a method of replacing the damaged nerve cells of the people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease. The health institute provided $131 for the stem cell research, but the problem is that the decision taken by Judge Lamberth stopped even the researches started during the Bush administration. It was believed that the ban would save about $546 million used for various researches.
