Stem Cell Legislation - Research Paper Example

?Stem Cell Research Legislation Introduction Stem cell research and its applications are one of the most controversial topics and practices in the health care delivery system. It has gained much controversy because of its ethical and physiological implications which have polarized people’s position and opinion on its use and application. Advocates for stem cell research highlight its benefits and they support the laws which have been suggested in its favor. Others are however not highly enthusiastic about its application within the current health system. As a result, many laws and versions of stem cell research legislation have been suggested throughout the years. This paper shall discuss the history of stem cell research legislation in the United States. It shall discuss how such history compares with similar statutes around the world. The current legislative state of affairs shall also be considered, as well as the possible direction of the laws in the United States should be taken. Various studies and literature shall be considered to establish a clear and comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. Discussion What is the history of Stem Cell Research Legislation in the United States? According to Deem (2004), stem cell research on humans was first seen in the 1960s, with some success achieved in the treatment of a patient with severe combined immunodeficiency disorder. Following this success, efforts to achieve a similar success was attempted in the treatment of immunodeficiency disorders and different types of leukemia and blood disorders (Deem, 2004). Based on the success achieved for the abovementioned diseases, many people have expressed their support for the necessity of stem cell research. These people feel that since there is a possibility of replicating the success in the 1970s for stem cell research in the treatment of cancer, the United States government and lawmakers must therefore provide support and funding for these programs which can potentially save people’s lives. The issue of stem cell research became particularly controversial in the US during President George W. Bush’s term in office. In August of 2001, Bush set forth a ban on federal allocations in the extraction of new embryonic stem cells from fertilized embryos (Oh, 2009). He claimed that carrying out such type of research is a threat to the unborn human life, and the government must therefore not support such procedures. The 109th and 110th Congress implemented bills which were set to overturn Bush’s position, however Bush vetoed both bills (Science Progress, 2009). In the 109th Congress, both houses approved the bill (subsequently signed by Bush) which prevented the creation of human fetuses which had the sole purpose of destroying them, as well as harvesting their body parts (Cord Bankings, 2010). A bill was also passed in order to support research into the creation of stem cell lines without damaging embryos (CBS, 2009). In 2005, the US Congress set forth the passage of the Stem Cell Research and Therapeutic Act of 2005. This was a national law which established new public banking and research facilities; this law was also set to encourage medical practitioners in increasing awareness of cord blood donations to pregnant women (Cord Blood Banking, 2010). President Barack Obama in 2009, ended the ban on allowing federal taxpayer dollars to fund significantly broader research on embryonic stem cells. Obama’s decision provides support for research on healthier and better ways to create treatment for diseases (CBS, 2009). How does it compare to comparable statutes in the rest of the world? The controversy regarding the passage of stem cell laws around the world are more or less similar various territories. Most of these laws and countries with stem cell research laws seem to agree on the significant difference that the research can bring to various sick individuals. In Africa, there are few laws which regulate embryonic stem cell research and the only country which actually has a significant research legislation is South Africa (What, When, How, n.d). For now, the policies in South Africa allow the use of unused embryos from in vitro fertilization procedures and for the creation for embryos as subjects of research. Some Asian countries have also considered stem cell research and they have not set-up specific laws to regulate these researches. In China and Singapore, however, they have specific laws which allow the use of embryonic stem cells coming from unused embryos created in vitro and for embryos created for research (What, When, How, n.d). Singapore in fact has made stem-cell research its priority and a national priority. It even created Biopolis, a research complex focused on biomedical research, supported by laws and financial subsidies. Their regulations on stem cell research actually became permissive, to the alarm of other governments. Nevertheless, their results and efforts have attracted other countries like the United States and the United Kingdom (What, When, How, n.d). The European Union is ambivalent about the issue on stem cell research. Various nations in the EU have actually introduced restrictions of human embryonic stem cell research, including Austria, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Portugal (What, When, How, n.d). Other countries like Sweden, Finland, Belgium, and Denmark, as well as the UK have supported embryonic stem cell research. The UK has set forth various stem cell research policies which allow for the destruction of human embryos for embryonic stem cell research (What, When, How, n.d). This destruction however is based on the condition that embryonic stem cell research will be carried out based on its contribution to human development and knowledge on serious diseases. In Russia, stem cell research allows the utilization of embryonic stem cells coming from eggs used expressly to create embryos for research. Russia’s policy is the least restrictive in Europe and Asia, and for which reason, concerns have been expressed on the safety of the therapy based on the danger it poses on a patient’s health, and based on ethical concerns and standards (What, When, How, n.d). In Australia, various policies have been established, however these have been deemed as not restrictive to stem cell research, most especially on embryonic stem cell research. Australia is however specific on restrictions on the creation of embryos for research purposes, restricting the creation of embryos purely to research on them (What, When, How, n.d). What is the current legislative state of affairs on stem cell research? Under the current Obama administration, stem cell research has more support, especially in terms of financial legislation, meaning, the government is now more willing to pay for research on stem cells. As was illustrated in the discussion above, such support was not apparent under the Bush Administration. However, future research on stem cells is still not as easy to implement considering that it is still very much controversial among the general public and among legislators. In effect, future research may still be denied public and legislative support depending on the political climate. Nevertheless, it is important to note how President Obama has entered his support for stem cell research funding in his Executive Order 13505, a law which is meant to eliminate barriers to responsible scientific research on human stem cells (Hogan and Hartson, 2009). This executive order also changes the means by which the National Institutes of Health can lend support on stem cell research. The Health and Human Sciences Secretary, through the National Institutes for Health (NIH) Director, is now required to assess existing NIH and similar guidelines on human stem cell research and establish new guidelines within 120 days from the declaration of the EO (Hogan and Hartson, 2009). Conclusion Based on the above discussion, it is apparent to note the importance of research in health. Research is after all a broad area of study which is includes a rich literature for evidence-based practice. Through research, we have been able to gain advancements in medical science and to establish cures for hundreds of diseases. Research however, is a costly venture. Part of the government’s duty in its health care service delivery is the funding of health research. It seems incumbent upon the government to set aside taxpayers’ money for the benefit of health research. After all, such research represents current and future gains. In the field of stem cell research, there are various ethical pitfalls which most people can fall into. These pitfalls represent moral questions which have to be settled with certainty before any decisions are made or before ethical lines are crossed. There have to be clear and set guidelines on the conduct of stem cell research. For now, the advocates of stem cell research have yet to settle these moral questions. Until such time that these questions are settled, much caution must be taken on the allocations of funds for stem cell research. Without such precautions, inadvertent dangers may be given free reign; and these dangers, in the future would be too difficult to manage. In effect, my opinion on stem cell research and government support is on the establishment of proper precautions to manage its dangers and implications in the actual implementation. Works Cited CBS. (2009). Obama Ends Stem Cell Research Ban. Retrieved 04 August 2011 from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/09/politics/100days/domesticissues/main4853385.shtml Cord Bankings. (2010). A Brief History of Stem Cell Research. Retrieved 04 August 2011 from http://www.cordbankings.com/research-history.html Deem, R. (2004). Stem cell research/cloning: Status and Ethics. Evidence for God. Retrieved 04 August 2011 from http://www.godandscience.org/slideshow/stem001.html Hogan and Hartson LLP. (2009). Federal Research Update. Hogan Lovells. Retrieved 04 August 2011 from http://www.hoganlovells.com/files/Publication/d1b93eb2-fc97-426f-b1b0-c0db6ddfe16b/Presentation/PublicationAttachment/9f55d95b-d60a-4763-9148-c5766fdec131/FRupdate_March2009.pdf Oh, J. (2009). A Brief History of Stem Cell Policy in the United States. The Pluripotent. Retrieved 04 August 2011 from http://thepluripotent.com/?p=718 Science Progress (2009). Timeline: A Brief History of Stem Cell Research. Retrieved 04 August 2011 from http://www.scienceprogress.org/2009/01/timeline-a-brief-history-of-stem-cell-research/ What, When, How. (n.d). International Laws (Stem Cell). Retrieved 04 August 2011 from http://what-when-how.com/stem-cell/international-laws-stem-cell/ Read More