NurseWeek

Presidential candidates divided
on stem cell funding issue

By Mary Elizabeth Hopkins and Reuters
September 3, 2000


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Washington. The National Institutes of Health published guidelines in the Federal Register Aug. 25 that allow federal funding for stem cell research, but controversy over the ethics of using stem cells divides the presidential hopefuls.

Gov. George W. Bush opposes using the early-stage undifferentiated cells if they come from a living human embryo.

The new guidelines support stem cell research only if it involves using "spare" embryos created through in vitro fertilization, which have been donated to science.

Stem cells can develop into many different types of specialized cells, such as bone, neurons or heart tissue. Experimental treatment using stem cells has helped patients with lupus go into remission. Researchers envision that the cells may someday help heal diseased human tissue and treat or cure ailments such as heart disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injuries.

Gore supports the new ethical guidelines for federal funding of stem cell research. The Clinton administration blocked federal funding for stem cell research using human embryos, but under the new guidelines, Clinton supports funding the research.