Stem Cell Debate puts University Research in the Spotlight

Stem cell research has been a hot issue between Democrats and Republicans for a long time. The basic arguments given by many republicans is that by using cell stems from human embryos, doctors are setting a very dangerous standard that devalues human life. Democrats argue that the research has the potential to save many lives down the road, and thus should not be curbed.

Presidential candidate George Bush announced in 2001 that he would limit any new federal funding of research using embryonic stem cells. His competitor, John Kerry, has used Bush's policy to attract many undecided voters to the Democratic camp.

Because this issue has gotten so much media attention, universities that conduct stem cell research have also been in the spotlight. They are excited that a change of administration could bring them more federal funding, but are also worried that the all of the attention has produced unrealistic expectations for the potential success the research could have in curing certain diseases. According to experts, the research has a long way to go before it has the possibility of being used to cure illness.

"There has been a lot of misinformation out in all the campaigns," says Lawrence S.B. Goldstein, a professor of cellular and molecular medicine at the University of California at San Diego. "It's not as bad as the Kerry campaign says, and it's not as good as the Bush campaign says. The truth is always more complicated than the sound bites we're getting."

Goldstein referred to campaign officials on both sides exaggerating the extent of Bush's stem cell policy. Many Kerry supporters have claimed that Bush has banned all stem cell research, while he only in truth limited any new federal funding for stem cell research in 2001.

Many of Bush's supporters boast that while limiting the funding, Bush's administration was the first to provide federal funding at all. What they fail to mention is that stem cells were first isolated in 1998, and that they Bush administration revoked a less restrictive policy towards the research that was enacted by the Clinton administration.