14. Do you support or oppose expanding federal funding for research using embryonic stem cells?
McCain:
While I do support federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, I also believe that clear lines should be drawn to reflect a refusal to sacrifice moral values and ethical principles for the sake of scientific progress. Moreover, I believe that recent scientific breakthroughs raise the hope that one day this debate will be rendered academic. I also support funding for other research programs, including amniotic fluid and adult stem cell research which hold much scientific promise and do not involve the use of embryos. I strongly oppose the intentional creation of human embryos for research purposes. I voted to ban the practice of ?fetal farming,? making it a federal crime for researchers to use cells or fetal tissue from an embryo created for research purposes.
Obama:
I believe we owe it to the American public to explore the potential of stem cells to treat the millions of people suffering from debilitating and life‐threatening diseases. Stem cells hold the promise of treatments and cures for more than 70 major diseases and conditions such as Parkinson?s and Alzheimer?s disease, traumatic spinal cord injuries, diabetes, and more. As many as 100 million Americans may benefit from embryonic stem cell research.
As president, I would:
* Promote Embryonic Stem Cell Research: I?ve been a long‐term supporter of greater stem cell research and I introduced legislation while a member of the Illinois Senate that specifically permitted embryonic stem cell research in Illinois.
* Support Medical Advancement and Innovation: I believe every American should have access to potential new cures and that restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research have led many leading researchers in the field to move to other countries. I cosponsored legislation in 2006 introduced by Sen. Arlen Specter (R‐PA) that would have allowed greater federal government funding on a wider array of stem cell lines.
* Expand the Number of Stem Cell Lines Available for Research: In 2001, President Bush restricted federal money to embryonic stem cell lines that already existed. Estimated to be about 78 at that time, the number of viable stem cell lines available is now only 22. I support expanding and accelerating research using stem cells lines. I am a cosponsor of the current Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act that would allow research on more stem cells derived from embryos donated for in vitro fertilization. My plan would reverse the president?s policy that has allowed hundreds of thousands of frozen embryos, left over from in vitro fertilization, to simply be discarded instead of being used to potentially save lives.
* Ensure Ethical Standards: I understand stem cell research needs to be conducted with the highest ethical standards. The stem cell legislation I introduced in the Illinois State Senate established review of this research by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Also, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act maintains high ethical standards by ensuring that only those embryos that would otherwise be discarded could be used and that the donors would have to provide written consent for the use of the embryos. I also support greater research to explore the viability of adult stem cells and cord blood.
McCain:
While I do support federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, I also believe that clear lines should be drawn to reflect a refusal to sacrifice moral values and ethical principles for the sake of scientific progress. Moreover, I believe that recent scientific breakthroughs raise the hope that one day this debate will be rendered academic. I also support funding for other research programs, including amniotic fluid and adult stem cell research which hold much scientific promise and do not involve the use of embryos. I strongly oppose the intentional creation of human embryos for research purposes. I voted to ban the practice of ?fetal farming,? making it a federal crime for researchers to use cells or fetal tissue from an embryo created for research purposes.
Obama:
I believe we owe it to the American public to explore the potential of stem cells to treat the millions of people suffering from debilitating and life‐threatening diseases. Stem cells hold the promise of treatments and cures for more than 70 major diseases and conditions such as Parkinson?s and Alzheimer?s disease, traumatic spinal cord injuries, diabetes, and more. As many as 100 million Americans may benefit from embryonic stem cell research.
As president, I would:
* Promote Embryonic Stem Cell Research: I?ve been a long‐term supporter of greater stem cell research and I introduced legislation while a member of the Illinois Senate that specifically permitted embryonic stem cell research in Illinois.
* Support Medical Advancement and Innovation: I believe every American should have access to potential new cures and that restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research have led many leading researchers in the field to move to other countries. I cosponsored legislation in 2006 introduced by Sen. Arlen Specter (R‐PA) that would have allowed greater federal government funding on a wider array of stem cell lines.
* Expand the Number of Stem Cell Lines Available for Research: In 2001, President Bush restricted federal money to embryonic stem cell lines that already existed. Estimated to be about 78 at that time, the number of viable stem cell lines available is now only 22. I support expanding and accelerating research using stem cells lines. I am a cosponsor of the current Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act that would allow research on more stem cells derived from embryos donated for in vitro fertilization. My plan would reverse the president?s policy that has allowed hundreds of thousands of frozen embryos, left over from in vitro fertilization, to simply be discarded instead of being used to potentially save lives.
* Ensure Ethical Standards: I understand stem cell research needs to be conducted with the highest ethical standards. The stem cell legislation I introduced in the Illinois State Senate established review of this research by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Also, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act maintains high ethical standards by ensuring that only those embryos that would otherwise be discarded could be used and that the donors would have to provide written consent for the use of the embryos. I also support greater research to explore the viability of adult stem cells and cord blood.