An Underreported Story: Obama Stem Cell Policy Repudiated in Courts

One of the issues upon which Barack Obama ran was the prospect of funding embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) using taxpayer dollars.  This type of research, of course, results in the destruction of human life.

I became aware of a big story last week that has not been reported very prominently.  Obama had signed an executive order funding ESCR soon after taking office.  The only problem is that it was probably against the law.  At least that is the interpretation of Chief Judge Royce Lamberth of the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

Ryan Anderson explains why Obama's policy was bad ethics, bad science, bad politics AND bad law.

Has anyone else out there missed the news regarding this ruling?  I only learned about it surfing the web at some of the sites I usually visit.

Comments

[Mick]

First I had heard of it. Im no news junkie but I'm not a shut in either.

[Joe Guarino]

I had not seen it on any of the news sites I usually visit or in the N&R. (Of course, I might have missed it.)

[Roch101]

I heard it on NPR.

[Joe Guarino]

OK, and I would hope the NYT and the WP covered it. To what extent does much of rest of the country that relies upon the usual, major news sources know about it (local papers, network and cable news, the major national news websites)?

[Sue]

It's been covered in a lot of major news outlets. But it's going to be appealed. The decision is hardly a done deal; could be why it's not receiving more attention. Court things can take a very long time. It was on TPM [http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/08/court-halts-federal-funding-embryonic-stem-cell-research.php] as well as Fox. The appeal was covered by the NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/health/policy/25stem.html (plus a ton of other MSM outlets).

I think it's been reported globally but not talked about to a great extent in our community of blogs.

[Joe Guarino]

Sue, I guess I somehow missed it. You are right about the appeal, the filing of which is to be expected. But the law is, after all, the law.

[Mike J Baron]

Six years ago I underwent a stem cell transplant. My own stem cells were harvested and then frozen. Next I was admitted and given a nearly lethal dose of chemotherapy. After the poisoning my stem cells were thawed out in a pan of warm water and injected into my arm. They somehow know to travel to the bone marrow and then graft.

Conservative Christians like Guarino and me are not against all stem cell research, just embryonic stem cell research where embryos are destroyed. We believe that a fertilized egg--an embryo is a human life.

And while we are on the subject of embryos, during a video interview of Bill Clinton by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Clinton demonstrated 6 times to America that he does know what an embryo is and Dr. Gupta did not dare correct him. The liberal media gave Clinton's huge televised gaffe a free pass. Watch the video, chuckle and recall the awful treatment Dan Quayle got for a spelling error. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmh9p1rlkQk&feature=player_embedded

[Joe Guarino]

Mike, I remember that interview. Pretty amazing.

What you experienced with your stem cell treatments is precisely the type of thing to which Ryan Anderson refers when he says ESCR is bad science. He discusses, in particular, induced pluripotent stem cells. We are probably coming around to the premise that ESCR should no longer be perceived as necessary.

[Dr. Mary Johnson]

Ahhhhhhh yes, Dr. Gupta (I remember that interview too). Now there is a sold-out piece-of-work.