President Opens Access to Taxpayer Funding of Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Yesterday, President Obama signed an executive order lifting the ban on taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research. I am troubled both by the ethical implications and the unintended consequences that could arise from the lack of guidance and parameters offered in the executive order.

I fundamentally do not believe that a highly controversial practice such as embryonic stem cell research should be funded with taxpayer money especially when other less controversial methods have yielded very promising results. Destroying viable embryos for scientific research when so many more ethically-responsible and acceptable methods of achieving the same means (scientific breakthroughs) are available and providing groundbreaking successes does not seem to me to be an endeavor government should be involved in. I believe the pursuit of scientific breakthroughs in the context of a moral and ethical framework which respects the value of human life (and all its potential) at all stages is important. 

In the past, proponents of taxpayer funding for embryonic stem cell research proposed using embryos which they claim would otherwise be discarded. The executive order by President Obama allows taxpayer funding for research on leftover embryos which would, in theory, be otherwise discarded. The executive order lacks clarification about whether or not taxpayer money could be used to deliberately create embryos only to destroy them for the sake of scientific research. Furthermore, there is nothing in the executive order to stop taxpayer money from being used for human cloning. The lack of guidance provided to the National Institute of Health (NIH) in the executive order is troubling to put it mildly.

With tremendous scientific gains being made in the field of adult stem cell research, I see little reason to siphon funding from a proven area of science to such an unproven and controversial field like embryonic stem cell research, particularly given our already limited federal resources.

I hope the President will reconsider his decision. In the meantime, I will work with my colleagues to pass legislation setting forth an ethical framework for proven methods of adult stem cell research at NIH.

I am honored to represent the 24th District of Texas, and appreciate your interest in my e-newsletter.  Please contact my District or DC office with any further questions you may have or visit my website at www.marchant.house.gov.