Topics in the News: Stem Cells
Barack Obama on Abortion
: Aug 26, 2007
Stem cells hold promise to cure 70 major diseases
Barack Obama believes we owe it to the American public to explore the potential of stem cells to treat the millions of people suffering from debilitating and life threatening diseases. Stem cells hold the promise of treatments and cures for more than
70 major diseases and conditions such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, spinal cord injuries, and diabetes. As many as 100 million Americans may benefit from embryonic stem cell research. As president, Obama would: - Promote Embryonic
Stem Cell Research
- Support Medical Advancement and Innovation
- Expand the Number of Stem Cell Lines Available for Research
- Ensure Ethical Standards
Obama introduced legislation in the Illinois Senate to ensure that only those embryos that would otherwise be discarded could be used and that donors would have to provide written consent for the use of the embryos.
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Source: Campaign website, BarackObama.com, "Resource Flyers"
Bill Richardson on Abortion
: Jul 23, 2007
Stem cell research as part of preventive healthcare
My health care plan [focuses on] prevention. It's starting early with kids.
It's getting rid of junk food in schools, as I did in New Mexico; a healthy breakfast for every child, mandatory phys ed, research into Alzheimer's, into cancer, into stem cell.
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Source: 2007 YouTube Democratic Primary debate, Charleston SC
Chris Dodd on Abortion
: Jul 23, 2007
Conduct stem cell research to help Alzheimers and diabetes
Q: What about helping people with Alzheimer's and diabetes?A: [To help] the woman with the Alzheimer's issue--stem cell research. Under a Dodd administration, stem cell research will be conducted so they can deal with diabetes.
Regarding the family that's talking about diabetes, 49% of our school districts have exclusive contracts with soft drink companies and junk food companies because we're not funding enough in our education system. That's an obesity problem as well.
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Source: 2007 YouTube Democratic Primary debate, Charleston SC
Hillary Clinton on Abortion
: Jun 20, 2007
Lift ban on stem cell research to cure devastating diseases
Later today, the president will veto a bill passed by Congress to support stem cell research. I co-chair the Alzheimer's Caucus in the Senate. I've worked on helping to boost funding for research to look for cures and a way to prevent so many devastating
diseases. And we know that stem cell research holds the key to our understanding more about what we can do. When I am president, I will lift the ban on stem cell research. This is just one example of how the president puts ideology before science.
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Source: Take Back America 2007 Conference
Tommy Thompson on Abortion
: May 15, 2007
New stem cell research means embryos need not be destroyed
Q: Some researchers say the lines of embryonic stem cells that Pres. Bush has approved federal funding for are inadequate. Tell me why they're wrong. A: Embryonic stem cells, as well as adult stem cells, show great promise. The president set forth a
policy about 72 embryonic lines that could be federally funded and could be used for research with federal funds.
Q: Researchers say there are not that many.
A: Well, there's not that many. There's 22 being used. There's at least three more that have
not been used. Some of them were not able to be viable, some of them were not able to have what we call pluripotency, and so they were not able to continue. But there is some tremendous new research, going on with amniotic fluids. There's also some new
research that says adult stem cells, if you do it the right way, will have the same characteristics as embryonic stem cells. So until this research is done, we do not have to destroy any more embryos. There's enough lines right now.
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Source: 2007 Republican Debate in South Carolina
Sam Brownback on Abortion
: May 3, 2007
Adult stem cell healing instead of embryonic stem cells
Q: Would you expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research?A: No. I've studied this matter a great deal. We are curing and healing people with adult stem cells.
It is not necessary to kill a human life for us to heal people. And we're doing it with adult stem cell work, and it's getting done.
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Source: 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC
Mike Huckabee on Abortion
: May 3, 2007
Embryonic stem cell research creates life to end a life
Q: For embryonic stem cell federal funding or not?GILMORE: We can't create people in order to experiment with people.
HUCKABEE: I would concur. I don't think it's right to create a life to end a life. That's not a good health decision.
HUNTER: No. I'd like to show Mrs. Reagan the alternatives, which are adult stem cells.
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Source: 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC
Mitt Romney on Abortion
: May 3, 2007
Altered nuclear transfer instead of embryonic stem cells
Q: Would you expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research?A: It certainly will. Altered nuclear transfer, I think, is perhaps the best source.
Q: Embryonic.
A: Altered nuclear transfer creates embryo-like cells that can be used for stem
cell research. In my view, that's the most promising source. I have a deep concern about curing disease. I have a wife that has a serious disease that could be affected by stem cell research and others.
But I will not create new embryos through cloning or through embryo farming, because that will be creating life for the purpose of destroying it.
Q: And you won't take any from these fertility clinics to use either?
A:
It's fine for that to be allowed, to be legal. I won't use our government funds for that. Instead, I want our governments to be used on altered nuclear transfer.
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Source: 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC
Tommy Thompson on Abortion
: May 3, 2007
Pluripotent adult stem cells instead of embryonic stem cells
Q: Would you expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research?
A: There's so much research going on, to allow for adult stem cells to become pluripotent, which will have the same characteristics of embryonic stem cells, so you do not have to kill an embryo.
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Source: 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC
Tom Tancredo on Abortion
: May 3, 2007
Embryonic stem cell research is morally reprehensible
Q: Would you expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research?
A: There are billions of dollars going into this research right now. It does not require me taking money from federal fund because it is morally reprehensible in certain ways.
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Source: 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC
Sam Brownback on Abortion
: May 3, 2007
FactCheck: Adult stem cell can't replace embryonic stem cell
Brownback strained to make his case against federal spending for medical research using embryonic stem cells, saying that cells from embryos aren't needed. That's true as far as it goes: Some diseases are being cured with adult stem cells.
Scientists have successfully used them to treat leukemia & lymphoma as well as a variety of different blood disorders. More recently, several small clinical trials have shown promising results in the treatment of muscle damage, chronic skin diseases &
Parkinson's disease. But adult stem cell treatments face serious limitations. Because adult stem cells have not yet been shown to have the ability to transform into any type of cell, they must be taken directly from the body part in question.
Unfortunately, many body parts do not contain adult stem cells, and many other parts that do contain stem cells contain them in very limited quantities. Also, adult stem cells are extremely difficult to grow in laboratory conditions.
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Source: FactCheck.org on 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library
Ron Paul on Abortion
: May 3, 2007
Embryonic stem cell programs not constitionally authorized
Q: Would you expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research?A: Programs like this are not authorized under the Constitution.
The trouble with issues like this is, in Washington we either prohibit it or subsidize it. And the market should deal with it, and the states should deal with it.
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Source: 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC
Duncan Hunter on Abortion
: May 3, 2007
Adult stem cell research instead of embryonic stem cells
Q: For embryonic stem cell federal funding or not?GILMORE: We can't create people in order to experiment with people.
HUCKABEE: I would concur. I don't think it's right to create a life to end a life. That's not a good health decision.
HUNTER: No. I'd like to show Mrs. Reagan the alternatives, which are adult stem cells.
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Source: 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC
John McCain on Abortion
: May 3, 2007
Supports federal funding of embryonic stem cell research
Q: Would you expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research?A: I believe that we need to fund this. This is a tough issue for those of us in the pro-life community.
I would remind you that these stem cells are either going to be discarded or perpetually frozen. We need to do what we can to relieve human suffering. It's a tough issue. I support federal funding.
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Source: 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC
Rudy Giuliani on Abortion
: May 3, 2007
Embryonic stem cell research ok if limited properly
Q: Would you expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research?A:As long as we're not creating life in order to destroy it, as long as we're not having human cloning, and we limit it to that,
and there is plenty of opportunity to then use federal funds in those situations where you have limitations. So I would support it with those limitations, like Senator Coleman's bill in Congress.
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Source: 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC
Mitt Romney on Abortion
: Mar 12, 2007
Stem cell research lofty goals don't justify destroying life
Romney adopted the "pro-life" label after his battle over stem cell research. Ann Romney has multiple sclerosis. Romney, who not surprisingly cites the diagnosis of his wife's disease as one of the greatest blows of his life, is nevertheless alarmed by
the aggressive program of embryonic stem cell research consortiums. He has taken a stand against the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.The Harvard Stem Cell Institute was seeking legal protection for an embryo production line for the purpose of creating
and harvesting stem cells, and Romney refused his support. He said, "Lofty goals do not justify the creation of life for experimentation or destruction."
Romney's views would permit for research the use of embryos about to be destroyed by their
parents; this puts him at odds with President Bush's more restrictive position. Romney has never supported state-funded research on embryonic stem cells, and is a believer in the efficacy of alternative methods of producing stem cells.
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Source: A Mormon in the White House?, by Hugh Hewitt, p.111-114
Mitt Romney on Abortion
: Dec 22, 2006
Now firmly pro-life, despite 2002 tolerance for abortion
In New Hampshire on Thursday, he deflected conservative concerns about his record on gay marriage and abortion.
He said he now describes himself as "firmly pro-life," despite citing his tolerance for abortion rights during his 2002 gubernatorial campaign, after researching the embryonic stem cell issue.
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Source: CNN.com, "Inside Politics"
Mike Gravel on Abortion
: Jun 27, 2006
Stem Cell research should not be limited
Stem Cell research is something the Senator feels strongly about -- and believes that it is wrong to limit the advancement of science.
He spoke of the day when using a corpse for medical research was unheard of, and condemned -- and pointed out that that would lead to many medical breakthroughs.
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Source: Blue State Observer, "Scones with the Senator"
Mitt Romney on Abortion
: Jul 27, 2005
Vetoed emergency contraception for rape victims
Massachusetts' Legislature is overwhelmingly Democratic, and Romney's first term as governor barely touched on the issues dear to social conservatives until recently. In May, Romney vetoed legislation to expand stem cell research because it allowed
the cloning of human embryos for use in stem cell experiments--a practice Romney said amounts to creating life in order to destroy it. The Legislature overrode the veto.
His veto of the emergency contraception measure is also likely to be overridden.
That bill requires hospital emergency room doctors to offer the medication to rape victims, and would make it available without prescription from pharmacies.
Romney is on a list of possible contenders for the White House in 2008. Others include Sens.
John McCain of Arizona, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Sam Brownback of Kansas and George Allen of Virginia, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
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Source: Associated Press on NewsMax.com
Mitt Romney on Abortion
: Jul 27, 2005
Anti-abortion views have "evolved & deepened" while governor
When he ran for governor in 2002, Romney pledged not to change the state's abortion laws, despite his personal opposition. But his veto Monday of an emergency contraceptives bill & his comments in recent months have fueled speculation among critics that
Romney is hardening his opposition to abortion and other sensitive social issues to gain support from GOP conservatives. Romney says his anti-abortion views have "evolved and deepened" since he took office, colored in part by the debate over embryonic
stem cell research. "In considering the issue of embryo cloning and embryo farming, I saw where the harsh logic of abortion can lead--to the view of innocent new life as nothing more than research material or a commodity to be exploited," Romney wrote
in an opinion piece in Tuesday's Boston Globe. He also said he believes each state should decide whether to allow abortion, rather than having the "one size fits all" precedent of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case that legalized abortion.
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Source: Associated Press on NewsMax.com
Mitt Romney on Abortion
: May 31, 2005
Vetoed stem cell research bill
This House vote affirmed passage of the bill supporting stem cell research as originally passed by the House and Senate, rejecting Governor Romney's proposed amendments and veto, and avoiding delays of implementation.
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Source: MassScorecard.org Bill S. 2039 ; roll call 69, passed 112-42
Barack Obama on Abortion
: Jun 16, 2004
Pass the Stem Cell Research Bill
State Senator Barack Obama today called for passage of the Ronald Reagan Biomedical Research Act (HB 3589), which will permit embryonic stem cell research in Illinois. The bill, formerly known as the Stem Cell Research Act, was recently renamed to honor
the memory of former President Ronald Reagan.The Ronald Reagan Biomedical Research Act specifically permits embryonic stem cell research in Illinois. Today, more than 100 million Americans are afflicted by medical problems [which could be affected by
this research]. Obama says, "This bill affects diseases that attack Americans - regardless of their gender, age, economic status, ethnicity, race or political affiliation. This is about a commitment to medical research, under strict federal guidelines.
I call on leaders in Illinois and President Bush in Washington to stop playing politics on this critical issue and expand the current policy on embryonic stem cell research so that we can begin finding the cures of tomorrow today."
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Source: Press Release, "Stem Cell Research Bill"
John Edwards on Health Care
: Mar 3, 2004
Cover every child and vulnerable adults
I support a health care plan that would cover every child and millions of vulnerable adults, and also bring down health costs for all Americans. I support a strong Patients Bill of Rights, prescription drug benefit in Medicare, and stem cell research.
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Source: 2004 Presidential National Political Awareness Test
Tommy Thompson on Abortion
: Jul 2, 2001
Both pro-life and pro-stem cell research
Several prominent conservative Republicans argue it is possible to be both “pro-life” and “pro-stem cell.” “Stem cell research facilitates life,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), who studied the issue for two years before deciding to aggressively lobby the
Bush administration. “Abortion destroys life; this is about saving lives.”“The most pro-life position would be to help people who suffer from these maladies,” Hatch said. “That is far more ethical than just abandoning or discarding these embryonic
stem cells.“ For politicians such as Hatch, a Mormon, the decision to break with many of their allies in the antiabortion community was closely tied to the enormous medical potential of embryonic stem cells to treat a wide range of debilitating
conditions. Hatch is hardly alone. In recent days, the pro-stem cell contingent [has come to include HHS Secretary] Tommy Thompson, Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA.), and Sens. Zell Miller (D, GA), Strom Thurmond (R-SC) and Gordon Smith (R-OR).
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Source: Ceci Connolly, Washington Post, p. A01