I'm Still Waiting

In the flurry of executive orders that blew out of the White House the first few days of President Obama's administration I had hoped to see one that removed the restrictions on stem cell research. I searched diligently, but I didn't find it because it wasn't there.

According to the White House, I should quit worrying:

In response to a query, White House spokesman Reid H. Cherlin wrote in an e-mail: "The president has made it clear that increasing stem cell research is a priority for his administration, and he'll be acting soon to reverse restrictions on this critical science."

In his campaign, Mr. Obama was unequivocal: he would lift the restrictions imposed by President Bush nearly eight years ago. The language recently, however, hasn't been quite so unequivocal.

Advocates on both sides still expect Obama to act. Obama repeated his promise in a private meeting with House Democrats last week, and top adviser David Axelrod said on "Fox News Sunday" that the president is "considering" an executive order and will act soon.

But the delay and the vague language are making proponents nervous. Has Obama simply been too preoccupied with the economic crisis to focus on the issue? Is he hesitant to wade into one of the flashpoints of the culture wars? Could he even be considering a moderate move as part of his broad strategy of seeking the middle ground on even the most contentious issues?

Good God, I hope not!

While I recognize the rather impressive advances made in adult stem cell research, nothing in the results I've read show that this part of the science is anywhere near as conclusive and promising as those made in embryonic stem cell research. If the scientists had not been restricted from using any new lines, there is no telling how far along the road to the treatment and cure of such conditions as spinal injury, Alzheimer's, and diabetes we'd be at this point. To continue those restrictions in any form means further delay, and that would be unconscionable.

New embryonic stem cell lines come from those fertilized eggs that were "extras" in fertility clinics; unneeded, they are slated for destruction, not for the "snowflake babies" President Bush trotted out in support of his narrow-minded "moral" position. Those concerns can be addressed by solid ethical guidelines promulgated by the National Institute for Health.

President Obama needs to show a little courage on the issue, not to back down from a fight that will still be engendered if he offers even the slightest modification to the Bush ban. Millions of Americans will support him, especially those who either have the conditions which would be affected by the research or who have family members who do.

I know this because I am one of them. My father died of Alzheimers, and just a few years later my older brother did also. That means there's a familial component. Now, after eight years of heavily restricted research, it's probably a little too late for my being a beneficiary of such open research, but not for my niece, my nephews, and their families.

This is one promise for change I have a personal interest in. I hope it's a promise the President keeps.