Obama lifts ban on federal funding for embryo stem cell research

Not exactly a surprise to me. This is a pet project for the liberal left. If embryo stem cell research was the fix all and be all of medicine the research wouldn't need to be federally funded. But because it doesn't do much the only way they can study it is with federal money. And so, Obama has lifted the ban Bush put on it.

President Barack Obama issued an executive order yesterday that lifted President Bush’s order prohibiting federal funding from going to “embryonic stem cell research” in which living human embryos are destroyed for their stem cells.

While making the announcement, Obama said that he would seek to “ensure that our government never opens the door to the use of cloning for human reproduction.” But neither in his remarks nor in the executive order itself did he say anything about stopping human cloning for purposes other than human reproduction—such as cloning human embryos in order to extract their stem cells for research.

Meanwhile, opponents say recent discoveries have made destroying embryos in order to retrieve their stem cells for research has become obsolete.

“It is sad he is taking this step to encourage and reward the taking of young human life with taxpayer funding. This represents obsolete science,” said Dr. David Prentice, a former professor of science and molecular genetics at both Indiana State University and the University of Indiana.

Scientist discovered in 2007 that adult stem cells, taken from hair and skin, can be more productive, Prentice said. Also, cells from bone marrow and umbilical chord blood are beneficial. Adult stem cell treatments have been used to treat more than 70 diseases, according to the Family Research Council.

And adult stem cell research isn't federally funded. Because they can produce real results.