Finally, after a long wait for the announcement regarding the government policy to allocate funds for the stem cell research, President George Bush declared his decision to limit federal funding for embryonic stem cell research regardless of what scientific breakthroughs may occur.

The funding will be provided only to the 60 stem cell lines already in existence. According to the President, stem cell researchers are three to five years from any breakthrough. Stem cells can replicate themselves indefinitely and millions of stem cells can be derived from just one embryo, creating one stem line. In the lines that have been derived already, "the life/death decision has already been made," Bush said in his televised address.

Dr. John Gearhart of the John Hopkins University Medical School in Baltimore questioned whether the stem cell lines, about half of which are in US laboratories will be enough. Some scientists think they will last a decade. The DEBATE in the Congress has been going on since more than two years. For those who want to know more about the implications of this legislation, read on…..

The Basics :

Please click on the image to know what stem cells are, how they are obtained for research purposes, and why they are so important.

 

 

The current debate :

Although the current debate was sparked off by the Bush Government's decision, the problem has been slowly simmering for a long time. Besides the ethical problems involved, many scientist are questioning if Embryonic stem cells are needed for research at all. These scientists believe that the research could be carried out just as well with ADULT stem cells.

 

Please click on the image to find out more about the ethical dilemmas and the scientific arguments for and against embryonic stem cell research.

The Future :

Now that production of new embryonic stem cells will not be possible in the US, what is the future of research in this field? What are the alternatives to embryonic stem cell research?

 

To find out more, Please click on the image.