President Obama Signs Executive Order on Stem Cell Issue

President Obama on Sunday signed an executive order that outlines how this administration will handle science. The order is not specifically designed to change stem cell research.

What the order does do is lift the restrictions setup by the Bush administration as to being able to use federal funds to aid research into this promising new area of science.

In the past stem cells were harvested from the fetuses of aborted babies prior to their destruction in order to gain access to these cells. Then they were used to propagate lines of cells that can be used in research to replace bad cells in ones body. The Bush administration limited the research to lines propagated prior to August 9, 2001. There have been cells propagating in research labs since that time that cannot be used and still cannot be used but it does open the government to change this policy.

The executive order, though, makes science a level playing field by utilizing administration policy overseen by government agency's to aid research of all kinds, including renewable energy sources and stem cell research.

Now researchers can apply for research grants to help fund stem cell and other research that limits the need for private money. This is good because private money usually comes with strings attached to benefit those that grant the money to some private initiative.

Researchers hope that they can create enough stem cells to fight diabetes; Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other life threaten diseases.

Republican's have fought against this based on their fundamental believe of right to life issues. They feel like it fuels the abortion issue and will lead to wholesale harvesting for money of embryonic stem cells.

No matter who is right or wrong President Obama is making a statement that the US government deems science to be important to our people and ultimately to our nation and it's security.

President Obama said," After much discussion, debate and reflection the proper course has become clear. The majority of Americans from across the political spectrum and backgrounds and different belief's have come to a consensus that we should pursue this research. The potential that it offers is great, with proper guidelines and strict oversight the perils can be avoided. That is a conclusion with which I agree."

This is a very controversial order and it will take time to see if the President is right. The Republicans seem to be split on the issue but that doesn't really matter since the President and the Democrats run Congress with a clear majority.

Sources: Associated Press, video of speech on Yahoo.com