What Side Will the Presidential Candidates Take on Stem Cell Research?

The talk is starting in the press again about stem cell research and whether scientists will be able to use stem cells to start finding inroads to curing the world's worst diseases during a new Presidential administration. And the usual fear is that either Presidential candidate might capitulate to the view of the Vatican that stem cells are life from the get-go and shouldn't be killed for the sake of research. However, it's possible that it won't be that cut and dry again as it was through the Bush Administration. No matter what happens, the push is on to incite our next President to get stem cell research going in some form or another based on a rallying cry done recently at the World Stem Cell Summit that was held in Madison, Wisconsin.

While we all know of the benefits in possibly curing some of the world's diseases if stem cell research finally gets forwarded, should the World Stem Cell Summit be championing more than just getting a future President to support it? Just persuading a President to forward the research may have stronger incentive if there's promotion of a real dialogue over what exactly makes up life in a stem cell. Not that we exactly have loads of time to sit around debating it without getting some work done, but having a town hall discussion on it in a major city with a new President would be one of the greatest events next to a meeting of the minds on the evolution vs. creation debate.

We'd probably be surprised what would come out of such a meeting if people could survive the screaming and yelling. But having either McCain or Obama there would be essential and help put the whole debate into a new context, unlike what the Bush Administration has done for the last eight years. By automatically nodding to a one-sided view on whether a stem cell is conscious life, Bush managed to alienate millions in this country over something that needs everybody in on the discussion, especially when it affects every person with a disease. The only concern with Obama and McCain is the silence they've given as of this writing about the issue.