Mark Mallory

9/19/10
3rd Hour

Scientific American, A 1996 Federal Budget Amendment Darkens the Future of Embryonic Stem Cell
Research, Katherine Harmon, September 15, 2010

This article is discussing recent politics surrounding Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research, or HESC
Research. All of the recent debate has centered around a 1996 legislation that halts any federal funding
to any research that could harm or destroy an embryo. One party states that researching on stem cells
already in a stem cell line isn't destroying any further stem cells, thus isn't breaking the legislation,
while another party argues that this research just encourages the destruction of other embryos. A bill
that was twice introduced, passed, then vetoed, in 2005 and 2007 called the stem cell research
enhancement act would allow for funding for research on unneeded embryos that would otherwise be
discarded. Both parties agree that there needs to be a clarifying bill passed, but their argument is in the
wording of that clarification. The main argument against this research is ethical, and cannot be gone
around by using adult stem cells, which are different. Although some private parties fund the research
the main source is the federal government. There was a session of congress to discuss this september
16.

The most interesting part of this article was the fact that adult stem cells are different than embryonic
stem cells. Before I read this I wasn't aware that adults had stem cells.

I gained a lot of knowledge of the argument about stem cells. I am now at a level where I could have a
conversation about the topic, and could eventually argue it when I'm an adult.