Stardate 20010906.0728 (On Screen): One interesting aspect of President Bush's
stem cell decision is that now federal funding of research is a foregone conclusion. That aspect of it is no longer subject to debate; it's now only a question of what will be funded, not whether there will be funding at all. Congressional investigation continues and now the Bush administration has admitted that there
really aren't 60 existing lines of stem cells which can currently be used for research. The actual number is more like 25, which they term "adequate". It isn't, of course; not even remotely. For one thing, it is much too soon to even make that decision. We don't know enough yet. The human race is genetically very diverse; 25 lines probably isn't enough, especially since I suspect that nearly all of them are genetically Caucasian. In any case, there is a strong feeling in Congress that this is indeed too restrictive and should be loosened, and Congress does have that power. It is, after all, a spending decision and Congress controls the purse. It's looking more hopeful by the day that the US government will do the right thing here, and it's becoming evident that President Bush's decision will eventually be viewed as an unqualified defeat for the "Right to Life" crowd.
(discuss)
