Should Governments Support Stem Cell Research?Successive US administrations have restricted the funding of embryonic stem cell research. The advocates of this limitation come from all sections of society, as do those who support stem cell research. So let's look at the two sides of the debate as to whether or not Governments should support stem cell research.
Yes Advocates would say why shouldn't government support stem cell research? It offers the most promising hope for cures of diseases such as diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's disease, amongst others. They see this as a worthy enough cause to support stem cell research and secure funding this way. Many do not consider stem cells as human life, and of those who do, those who support stem cell research would consider the loss of these stem cells as fair enough when compared to the potential advances in scientific discovery and disease cure. No The arguments which say that governments should not financially support stem cell research are not necessarily as straightforward as you might think. Many people who support stem cell research as a good idea and ethically sound nevertheless do not think that is should be federally funded. Some argue that it is an emerging science still in its early stages and that to support stem cell research may mean that lots of federal money is ploughed into something that may not yield results. Certainly to date, stem cell research has yet to offer any sort of a real cure. It is also argued that with removing federal support, stem cell research could progress unhindered by those who have moral and religious objections to such procedures since their tax money would not be used to fund it. Perhaps, though, that is a rather naïve objection. The moral and ethical objections would still exist and it does a disservice to these feelings to assume they would just disappear for selfish fiscal reasons. Privatizing the procedure may support stem research growth, though, as it would allow it to work free of federal control. Congress was never given the Constitutional right to tax United States citizens in order to pay for medical research of any kind. Its fiscal powers were always intended to protect its citizens, so given that there is a debate about whether embryos actually constitute human life, many critics point to this as an argument that the US should not federally support stem cell research. Objections to the support of adult stem cell research also centre on the fact that this is a new and relatively untested research technique. So - the answer to whether governments should support stem cell research hinges on whether you believe that the ethical and practical problems are outweighed by the potential benefits which this therapy offers. |