who ever wins this up coming presidental election

[mj23]

will they allow clinical trials with stem cells to happen right away? Or even will they let it happen?

[Leo]

Hi mj,

clinical trials are going to happen and imo with the change in president things will happen quicker.

keep pushing them

[Eileen]

I believe Hillary has been quite vocal on her support of stem cell research!

[mj23]

McCain also been vocal bout stem cells

[Quadcessible]

An interesting yet open ended question, personally I would like the new Executive Branch to input more funding into NIH which should be inclusive of studies with all types of stem cell research. This funding is what is needed to help our scientists advance in the field of stem cell research. Also who ever becomes our next President should not be voted in because of their opinion of stem research alone! Our Country has many National and International issues to solve that have been created over the past eight years which need to be addressed. The bottom line is the U.S.A. needs a leader who isn’t afraid to change the current political agenda, listen too, and get in touch with the heartbeat of what American’s want. 16 years of past Presidents and Congress haven’t done much or enough to support stem cell research. Recently, we weren’t far from the number of votes needed in Congress to override a Presidential Veto on Embryonic Stem Cell Research. It would help tremendously to have Presidential support for Stem Cell Research, but we also need the support from Congress. Anyway this is Cure Forum, not Political Forum. The only thing politics can contribute here is funding for a cure, they can’t even collectively run a Country, and so I don’t want them telling our scientists how to go about finding a cure for SCI.

[manouli]

McCain also been vocal bout stem cells

He changed his mind because of the republican pressure, he does not support funding for embryonic stem cell.

[Wise Young]

Rather than interpreting it for people, let me post what John McCain has said about embryonic stem cell research recently.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/95212.php

McCain Says His Support Of Embryonic Stem Cell Research Is Unchanged

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, on Thursday while campaigning in Florida said he continues to support human embryonic stem cell research, the Washington Post reports. When asked whether recent advances in nonembryonic stem cell research would change his stance, McCain replied, "I have not changed my position yet" (Milbank, Washington Post, 1/25).

Referring to recent reports that researchers have reprogrammed mature adult human skin cells to produce embryonic-like stem cells, McCain said he believes "skin stem cell research has every potential very soon of making" the issue of embryonic stem cell research "academic." He said that his decision to support embryonic stem cell research was "one of the toughest" he has had to make, adding that one reason he favors the research is "those embryos will be either discarded or kept in permanent frozen status."

McCain also said that Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who opposes abortion rights, would play an advisory role in the selection of U.S. Supreme Court nominees if McCain were elected president. He also indicated that Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Antonin Scalia are the models of justices he would like to appoint (Catholic News Agency, 1/23).

It is true that McCain has been a strong supporter of embryonic stem cell rsearch. He voted for the legislation to allow NIH to fund more embryonic stem cell research. He even criticized Romney for having flipped-flopped on this issue (Source). As recently as April 13, 2007, McCain has said that he favors embryonic stem cell research (Source). But McCain was also against waterboarding last month and then voted against the bill that would forbid waterboarding that was vetoed by George W. Bush. Many anti-ESC pro-life groups believes that McCain agrees with them on some aspects of the debate (Source).

akubczyk says he has already seen some progress.

He points to a statement on the McCain campaign web site that talks about McCain's opposition to "the intentional creation of human embryos for research purposes."

The statement also mentions McCain "will strongly support funding for promising research programs, including amniotic fluid and adult stem cell research and other types of scientific study that do not involve the use of human embryos."

It discusses McCain's votes to ban the practice of "fetal farming," against making human-animal hybrids, and against human cloning.

Jakubczyk says the McCain statement "recognizes the serious moral questions involved and the need to respect human life."

He said he appreciates the fact that pro-life leaders already have an in-road into Senator McCain and that the presidential candidate has shown an open mind on pro-life objections.

"The important news is that leaders in the pro-life community have an open door to discuss the subject and that the Senator knows we are about what is in the best interests of the nation and the nation's children," he said.

That may indicates McCain could be open to working with pro-life advocates on alternatives should he become president and that he will not shut out pro-life disagreement on bioethics issues.

This will be a big topic in the ISSCR symposium that will be held in Philadelphia on June 11-14, 2008 (Source). Many scientists (including NIH officials) believe that no matter which of the candidates eventually become president (Obama, Clinton, McCain), the floodgates of federal funding for stem cell research may begin (Source).

Wise.

[Leo]

i would almost vote for mccain and he's supported research however with those strong influences i will not take the chance

[Curt Leatherbee]

Brownback an advisory role of selection of US Supreme Court Nominees? Haha. If that happens forget about any gov. funding of ESC.

[vito]

If you vote for Mccain, you are voting against stem cell research.

McCain also been vocal bout stem cells

If you vote for Mccain, you are voting against federal funding expansion for stem cell research, which means you are voting for a longer and miserable paralyzed life in the wheelchair.
Also, voting for Mccain, is equal like voting for 10, 20 or 100 more years war with Iraq, and possibly Iran and Syria. Almost 4000 soldiers have died and 30,000 severely injured (including brain injuries) the last 5 years in Iraq and Trillions of dollars have been wasted, as a result we are $3.50 per gallon of Gasoline vs. $0.99 per gallon in when Clinton was president.
Now you do the math how much worse will it get with another 20 years of useless war.
When Bush/republican won 2004 election, we automatically just got another 4 years sentence in the prison of paralyses.
4 years ago, If Kerry/democrats would have won the presidency, we would have been (if not out of the wheelchairs) very close to it.
It is your call........

[Norm]

There is no choice you have to vote democrat if you want all research options explored.

[Schmeky]

There is no choice you have to vote democrat if you want all research options explored.

I am a registered Republican. Norm is right. I am ashamed of the way Bush has performed, as well as the Republican's in Washington.

[Quadcessible]

Vito,
Your statement regarding Sen. Kerry “4 years ago, If Kerry/democrats would have won the presidency, we would have been (if not out of the wheelchairs) very close to it. It is your call........” (Vito cure post #134) is your opinion for which you have every right to voice it. But in reality it has no basis of fact that a cure for SCI would have been found or closer then it is today. Science has to solve the problem, and politics can help by infusing more money into NIH, and lifting restrictions on embryonic stem cell research placed by the Republican Party President. Congress, which is now controlled by the Democratic Party still hasn’t enough votes to override a Presidential Veto. If Sen. Kerry had been elected, there is a possibility he would have passed the legislation, or possibly caved in to political pressure and not signed the legislation, we will never know. My point is no matter what; science has to solve the answer first. Science needs the funding to help cover research costs where ever the cure is found. We do need a change in our current political structure. The results of that change are soon to come and then we will see what happens. There is something I call (The ready to learn clock), it can be summed up like this. No matter how many times a child tries to learn to tie their shoes, until their ready to learn clock strikes 12:00 they will not learn to solve the task. It feels like with every passing day that scientists are closer to striking 12:00 in solving the cure for SCI. Lets say scientists are at 11:55; with additional funding for research and lifting government restrictions on research we are seconds away from striking 12:00, but it’s going to take scientists the needed time for them to be ready to learn. Collectively they are closer then ever. Politics is not going to solve the answer, but they have ways to help.

[Norm]

Science has to solve the problem, and politics can help by infusing more money into NIH, and lifting restrictions on embryonic stem cell research placed by the Republican Party President. Congress, which is now controlled by the Democratic Party still hasn’t enough votes to override a Presidential Veto.

No Democrat will veto stem cell research.

If Sen. Kerry had been elected, there is a possibility he would have passed the legislation, or possibly caved in to political pressure and not signed the legislation, we will never know.

I have to say I very much doubt that one.

My point is no matter what; science has to solve the answer first.

How are they going to do that without funding FIRST!

It feels like with every passing day that scientists are closer to striking 12:00 in solving the cure for SCI. Lets say scientists are at 11:55; with additional funding for research and lifting government restrictions on research we are seconds away from striking 12:00, but it’s going to take scientists the needed time for them to be ready to learn. Collectively they are closer then ever. Politics is not going to solve the answer, but theyhave ways to help.

Yet how are they if there's still gov't restrictions & no funding?