My Latest Pajamas Media Column: Embryonic Stem Cell Research & Government Funding–UPDATED

Here’s an excerpt of my latest Pajamas column titled “Much Ado About Obama and Embryonic Stem Cells”:

In a move that shocked no one, President Barack Obama reversed President George W. Bush’s executive order to ban government-funded human embryonic stem cell [ESC] research on new embryonic stem cell strains. This decision has caused many to rejoice and many to lament.

Some question the timing: lifting the stem cell research funding ban is a political win for Obama at a time when he’s losing public opinion ground on the economy. It also puts Republicans on defense–moderates and Democrats favor embryonic stem cell research, while conservatives dislike it. Moderate Republicans welcome the policy shift because they view the issue as a political loser and want it off the table.

Go read the whole thing and give me your feedback here or on Twitter.

UPDATE:

I missed this part in the Stem Cell hub-bub:

Bioethcis attorney and watchdog Wesley J. Smith says the Obama decision to also reverse this executive order shows Obama is really the anti-science president, not his predecessor.

“Of course, the Administration didn’t have the candor or courage to publicize this part of his nasty work,” he said. “But the now dead order explicitly required funding for alternative methods such as the new IPSCs, which offer so much promise without the ethical contentiousness.”

“Alternative methods are one of the few areas in which we can all row in the same direction, which I thought this president wanted to do,” Smith added.

“I can think of only two reasons for this action, for which I saw no advocacy either in the election or during the first weeks of the Administration,” Smith says. “First, vindictiveness against all things ‘Bush’ or policies considered by the Left to be ‘pro-life’ and second, a desire to get the public to see unborn human life as a mere corn crop ripe for the harvest.”

“So much for taking the politics out of science,” he concludes.

UPDATED AGAIN:

NeoNeocon says:

Many people have applauded Obama’s actions. But to agree with Obama’s new policy is it really necessary to distort history? Although it is indeed likely that the Obama directive reversing the Bush position will open up more opportunities for research with stem cells, it’s not as though under Bush things were not progressing, through the use of adult stem cells and other creative solutions (see this and this for two examples). But to acknowledge that would be to acknowledge that Bush wasn’t really against science, just a particular form of science that he considered unethical.

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Tags: Abortion