The political world is starting to weigh in on induced pluripotent stem cells.
+ The AP reports that some in the Republican party are calling the news the end of the discussion on the ethics and funding of embryonic stem cell research.
+ Among the GOP presidential candidates, it seems that Mitt Romney is making the most of the news (background on Romney and stem cell research). Romney’s people are saying this latest research has their guy feeling vindicated, according to the Boston Globe, and they’ve been circulating a piece by Thomas Berg in NRO praising the candidate.
+ According to a piece by Sheryl Gay Stolberg in NYT, the White House had been following the reprogramming research for a number of months, with the President getting updates from Elias Zerhouni. The administration is even claiming some credit for the advance. “I dont think theres any doubt that the presidents drawing of lines on cloning and embryo use was a positive factor in making this come to fruition,” Bush adviser Karl Zinsmeister told the NYT.
+ In that same NYT article, Arlen Specter — a Republican — says he will continue pushing in Congress for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.
+ Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette, who has sponsored embryonic stem cell research funding legislation, said in a statement: “Politicians should not be cherry-picking the preferred method of stem cell research; the soundness of the science should be dictating the form of research under strict ethical guidelines.”
+ There’s yet to be word from the Democratic candidates for president. (If you see something, please pass it along)
How much do the politics of all this really matter? Yesterday in a teleconference with reporters, James Thomson said that the political controversy surrounding this research set the field back five years.
-Greg Dahlmann
Earlier on blog.bioethics.net:
+ Art Caplan at MSNBC: ‘Panacea’ cells revive ancient hopes
+ Looking ahead: induced pluripotent stem cells
+ Cells that look and act like human embryonic stem cells created from skin cells