Stem Cell Legislaion - Research Paper Example

However, actual research on stem cells began in the 1960s and the 1970’s when treatment of many immunodeficiency conditions and leukemia was sought from stem cells (UK Stem Cell Foundation 2011). In general, at that time, since the scope of stem cell research was huge and could also be life-saving in certain circumstances, people recommended using such technology. Even today, several diseases such as cancer, heart disease, etc, are incurable and a stem cell research may offer a chance. Not only are the people looking towards the government to permit the use of this technology, but also federal funding is being sought to sponsor this technology.

In one patient who was suffering from HIV/AIDS, the use of stem cells from a person who had a resistant gene variant helped the patient to stop taking antiviral medications. However, the use of embryonic stem cells poses a lot of ethical issues as they have the potential to form life (Research America 2012). Stem cell research is not pro-life and often the promises that they offer are not evidence-based and only distance possibilities. No cure for any disease has been obtained from stem cell research nor has this form of research proceeded beyond laboratory animals.

When George W Bush had taken the office in 2001, he enacted a ban on stem cell research with an intention of ending federal funding on it as it involved destroying human life. Here since human life was being used merely for the sake of experimentation and harvesting body parts, the Congress sought for the ban on stem cells (Wertz, 2002). However, the Congress sought the use of stem cells without destroying embryonic cells that had the potential to transform into human beings. In 2004, the California Institute for Regenerative medicine was setup in order to regulate the research findings and the research facilities.

Institutions seeking financing fro stem cell research have to approach the California Institute for Regenerative medicine. In 2007, the Bush Administration sought the reversal of the earlier policy which sought to inhibit the federal spending on stem cell obtained from human embryos. In 2009, Barack Obama signed the executive order that permitted stem cell research on human embryos. In 2011, greater clarification on the federal funding was being sought as federal funds could only be spent on researching stem cells and not destroying the human embryos (American Association for the Advancement of Science 2011). 2. How does it compare to comparable statutes in the rest of the world?

The US is not the only nation to have a problem with regulating stem cell research and many other nations including the EU may ban stem cell research derived from embryonic stem cells. Many of the governments across the world have been funding stem cells research. In China, stem cell therapy centers are present which uses stem cells from umbilicus or autologously generated for treating several disorders such as Parkinsonism and cerebral plays. In Australia, informed consent is required from the couple undergoing IVF for stem cell research and only those embryonic cells that are going to be wasted can be used for stem cell research.

During clinical research trials, the embryonic stem cells donated by the users can be used only after taking informed consent. Any embryo that is fertilized within a women’