Notes: George W. Bush continues to promote his position of effectively limiting stem-cell research. He's restricted it by banning federal funding for research on any lines of stem cells other than those that existed when he issued his ban. His political reason for doing so is to keep the anti-abortion vote. But, science is not on his side.

The scientific community, Nancy Reagan and many members of Congress -- both Republicans and Democrats -- have all asked Bush to extend funding for research on newly developed lines of stem cells developed from blastocysts grown in petri dishes. While Laura Bush claims that there is no ban on stem-cell research, there is little, if any, private funding available to develop and conduct research on new stem cell lines. This type of scientific research must be backed by federal funding to take off.

Laura Bush also claims that there is no cure for Alzheimer's just around the corner. Her claim is misleading. Although, scientists do not see Alzheimer's as benefitting from direct implantation of stem cells, they do see great benefits in using stem cells in Alzheimer's research to gain an understanding of the disease with an eye to alleviating or curing it. Moreover, Parkinson's and diabetes are both thought to be candidates for direct implantation of stem cells.

Laura Bush also says that research is very preliminary so that the value of stem-cell research has not been determined. It is preliminary and will stay that way if funding is not made available. It's a Catch 22 -- the research is preliminary, but there's no funding for it to move forward. 08.15.04