SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Obama Hits Right Notes on Stem Cell Research; Republicans Heartless
This was an easy step, but it was the right step, and it was the humane step.
When he signed the Executive Order lifting the federal ban on new
embryonic stem cell research, President Obama was making good on a
campaign promise. That's what made it right. He was taking an action
that is popular with the vast majority of the American public. That's
what made it easy. But it's also an action that holds out the promise
of curing a whole variety of debilitating diseases from diabetes all
the way to Parkinson's. That's what made it so humane.
Mar 10, 2009
This was an easy step, but it was the right step, and it was the humane step.
When he signed the Executive Order lifting the federal ban on new
embryonic stem cell research, President Obama was making good on a
campaign promise. That's what made it right. He was taking an action
that is popular with the vast majority of the American public. That's
what made it easy. But it's also an action that holds out the promise
of curing a whole variety of debilitating diseases from diabetes all
the way to Parkinson's. That's what made it so humane.
In a graceful touch, Obama invoked the famous and the unsung who fought so hard for embryonic stem cell research.
"As we restore our commitment to science, and resume funding for
promising stem cell research, we owe a debt of gratitude to so many
tireless advocates, some of whom are with us today, many of whom are
not. Today, we honor all those whose names we don't know, who
organized, and raised awareness, and kept on fighting - even when it
was too late for them, or for the people they love. And we honor those
we know, who used their influence to help others and bring attention to
this cause - people like Christopher and Dana Reeve, who we wish could
be here to see this moment."
On Monday, Obama also signed a Presidential Memorandum ten ensure
scientific integrity in government decision-making. His Administration,
he said, will "base our public policies on the soundest science." And
he pledged to "appoint scientific advisers based on their credentials
and experience, not their politics or ideology."
What a refreshing break from the Bush-Cheney policies, which
amounted to Lysenkoism--not only on stem cell research but also on
global warming.
In typical fashion, the Republican Party remained the heartless party of no.
House Republican Leader John Boehner said Obama's move "rolled back
important protections for innocent life, further dividing our nation at
a time when we need greater unity to tackle the challenges before us."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell provided his usual echo:
"With this announcement, the government is, for the first time,
incentivizing the creation and destruction of human embryos at the
expense of the U.S. taxpayer."
They talk about the destruction of human life, but fertility clinics
around the country have their freezers full of embryos that they will
never use and that they'll ultimately toss in the garbage. Why not use
these embryos to save lives instead?
Boehner and McConnell care more about the frozen embryos that are
going to be discarded than the real-live human beings who are
needlessly suffering today.
The Republican leaders are lost in the wilderness of their own barren ideology.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2023 The Progressive
Matt Rothschild
Matt Rothschild is the executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. Prior to joining the Democracy Campaign at the start of 2015, Matt worked at The Progressive Magazine for 32 years. For most of those, he was the editor and publisher of The Progressive.
This was an easy step, but it was the right step, and it was the humane step.
When he signed the Executive Order lifting the federal ban on new
embryonic stem cell research, President Obama was making good on a
campaign promise. That's what made it right. He was taking an action
that is popular with the vast majority of the American public. That's
what made it easy. But it's also an action that holds out the promise
of curing a whole variety of debilitating diseases from diabetes all
the way to Parkinson's. That's what made it so humane.
In a graceful touch, Obama invoked the famous and the unsung who fought so hard for embryonic stem cell research.
"As we restore our commitment to science, and resume funding for
promising stem cell research, we owe a debt of gratitude to so many
tireless advocates, some of whom are with us today, many of whom are
not. Today, we honor all those whose names we don't know, who
organized, and raised awareness, and kept on fighting - even when it
was too late for them, or for the people they love. And we honor those
we know, who used their influence to help others and bring attention to
this cause - people like Christopher and Dana Reeve, who we wish could
be here to see this moment."
On Monday, Obama also signed a Presidential Memorandum ten ensure
scientific integrity in government decision-making. His Administration,
he said, will "base our public policies on the soundest science." And
he pledged to "appoint scientific advisers based on their credentials
and experience, not their politics or ideology."
What a refreshing break from the Bush-Cheney policies, which
amounted to Lysenkoism--not only on stem cell research but also on
global warming.
In typical fashion, the Republican Party remained the heartless party of no.
House Republican Leader John Boehner said Obama's move "rolled back
important protections for innocent life, further dividing our nation at
a time when we need greater unity to tackle the challenges before us."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell provided his usual echo:
"With this announcement, the government is, for the first time,
incentivizing the creation and destruction of human embryos at the
expense of the U.S. taxpayer."
They talk about the destruction of human life, but fertility clinics
around the country have their freezers full of embryos that they will
never use and that they'll ultimately toss in the garbage. Why not use
these embryos to save lives instead?
Boehner and McConnell care more about the frozen embryos that are
going to be discarded than the real-live human beings who are
needlessly suffering today.
The Republican leaders are lost in the wilderness of their own barren ideology.
Matt Rothschild
Matt Rothschild is the executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. Prior to joining the Democracy Campaign at the start of 2015, Matt worked at The Progressive Magazine for 32 years. For most of those, he was the editor and publisher of The Progressive.
This was an easy step, but it was the right step, and it was the humane step.
When he signed the Executive Order lifting the federal ban on new
embryonic stem cell research, President Obama was making good on a
campaign promise. That's what made it right. He was taking an action
that is popular with the vast majority of the American public. That's
what made it easy. But it's also an action that holds out the promise
of curing a whole variety of debilitating diseases from diabetes all
the way to Parkinson's. That's what made it so humane.
In a graceful touch, Obama invoked the famous and the unsung who fought so hard for embryonic stem cell research.
"As we restore our commitment to science, and resume funding for
promising stem cell research, we owe a debt of gratitude to so many
tireless advocates, some of whom are with us today, many of whom are
not. Today, we honor all those whose names we don't know, who
organized, and raised awareness, and kept on fighting - even when it
was too late for them, or for the people they love. And we honor those
we know, who used their influence to help others and bring attention to
this cause - people like Christopher and Dana Reeve, who we wish could
be here to see this moment."
On Monday, Obama also signed a Presidential Memorandum ten ensure
scientific integrity in government decision-making. His Administration,
he said, will "base our public policies on the soundest science." And
he pledged to "appoint scientific advisers based on their credentials
and experience, not their politics or ideology."
What a refreshing break from the Bush-Cheney policies, which
amounted to Lysenkoism--not only on stem cell research but also on
global warming.
In typical fashion, the Republican Party remained the heartless party of no.
House Republican Leader John Boehner said Obama's move "rolled back
important protections for innocent life, further dividing our nation at
a time when we need greater unity to tackle the challenges before us."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell provided his usual echo:
"With this announcement, the government is, for the first time,
incentivizing the creation and destruction of human embryos at the
expense of the U.S. taxpayer."
They talk about the destruction of human life, but fertility clinics
around the country have their freezers full of embryos that they will
never use and that they'll ultimately toss in the garbage. Why not use
these embryos to save lives instead?
Boehner and McConnell care more about the frozen embryos that are
going to be discarded than the real-live human beings who are
needlessly suffering today.
The Republican leaders are lost in the wilderness of their own barren ideology.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.