Stem Cell Controversy

Stem cells are utility and repair units of the body that serve a central function in the maintenance and regeneration of organs and tissues throughout life. Adult stem cells (ASC) derived from tissue sources such as bone marrow have been used in various medical therapies for several decades. In comparison, human embryonic stem cells (ESC) were not identified for the first time until 1998. Over the past decade, research in this area has been the subject of considerable political controversy in the United States. The controversy has often drawn public attention through media coverage, generally reflecting communication efforts by stakeholders on all sides of this issue.

In the early 1960s, scientists initiated research predominantly on stem cells taken from bone marrow and umbilical cord blood, with applications focused on treatments for cancer. Gradually, though, work on stem cells from animal embryos led to the popular belief among scientists that human embryonic stem cells might hold greater potential for research than stem cells derived from adult tissue sources. With this promise in mind, starting in the 1970s, scientists in the United States pushed for federal financing of human embryo research, but with little success in gaining support from Congress or the president. In 1993, former president Bill Clinton's administration directed the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to allow funding for research on embryos left over from in vitro fertilization. However, Republican members of Congress intervened, passing budget provisions that prevented federal funding of any and all research involving human embryos.

In 1998, two teams of privately funded university scientists successfully isolated stem cells from human embryos for the first time. Unlike their adult tissue counterparts, embryonic stem cells are “undifferentiated,” meaning that these repair units of the human body have yet to be programmed to be specific to the brain, skin, heart, lungs, or other bodily tissues. Scientists considered the human ESC discovery to be a significant step forward in developing new treatments for a variety of health problems, including AIDS, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries, and heart disease. In 1999, the NIH issued a legal ruling interpreting the congressional ban on human embryo research as permitting federal funding of research on embryonic stem cell lines. In August 2000, during the presidential race, the NIH released finalized guidelines, and the [Page 836]agency began accepting funding applications for research. The same month, Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush went on record in media interviews with his opposition to federal funding for this effort.

In 2001, the first 8 months of Bush's presidency were characterized by intense lobbying and media attention to the question of ESC funding, culminating in his nationally televised August 9 announcement that federal funds would be allowed to support ESC, but would be limited to research using 60 existing stem cell lines. These collections of stem cells were deemed by the president as morally suitable because embryos had been already destroyed to create them. In 2002 and 2003, debate over ESC research remained a top-tier political issue. Fueling debate, advocates for expanded funding questioned the adequacy of the 60 available stem cell lines Bush had authorized be used, warning that top scientists were likely to move overseas to conduct research.

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