Dogger, you may find this interesting since you've mentioned stem-cell research, but don't know anything about the subject.
<a href='http://www.pfm.org/BPtemplate.cfm?Section=BreakPoint_Home&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=13116' target='_blank'>Link</a>
Biotech Commentary
The Stem Cell Debate Gets Hotter
What We Need to Do about It
By Nigel M. de S. Cameron
July 19, 2004
Nancy Reagan’s recent intervention in the debate over federal funding of destructive embryo stem-cell research has given fresh heart to those pressure groups, celebrities and biotech enthusiasts who are seeking to overturn President Bush’s careful policy compromise, which he announced to the nation in his first televised broadcast as president, on August 9, 2001.
It is plain that the administration is not going to change its policy. What we need to understand is that there is so much misunderstanding abroad that it is proving difficult for honest people to come to honest conclusions. The press is now focusing on the allegations that conservatives in the religious community are changing their view. Perhaps some are. Many have never thought seriously about this matter, and are anxious about sick relatives and the need to cure diseases. It’s never been more important for those of us who have thought long and hard about these issues to get the word out and clarify the thinking of the nation.
Here are some of the common misunderstandings, some of which have been deliberately, shamelessly purveyed by the press and advocates of destructive embryo research:
Myth 1: The Bush Administration Banned Stem Cell Research
There is no federal law banning stem cell research of any kind. There has long been a ban imposed by Congress on federal funding of destructive embryo research. This ban was enforced by the Clinton administration. President Bush’s decision of August 2001 was in fact a liberalization of that ban and it was denounced by some conservative groups as a result. The Bush decision permitted funding of embryo stem cell research. The permission extended to cell-lines cultured from embryos that had already been destroyed, so that there would be no encouragement to destroy further embryos. And, of course, there is no restriction at all on “adult
