Embryonic Stem Cell Research Becomes a Political Issue in 1999

As I have been researching the history of my topic and polling I found that embryonic stem cell research did not really become a political issue until 1999. Scientists and the National Institute for Health looked for funding from the federal government to advance their research. During the decade of trying to extract stem cells from human embryos, the research was privately funded. In 1999 when they went to the federal government there had already been a ban in place on funding any kind of research using human embryos (this may have had a lot to do with the cloning issue). Either way, Clinton and other government officials decided the moral cost did not outweigh the potential benefits and granted funding. Still at this time, polls were not conducted on the issue, rather it was just a political issue that really hadn't caught people's attention yet. The main people who paid attention were opponents, groups who were opposed to Roe v. Wade. They believe life begins at conception which is the basis of their argument. In this type of research, the egg must be fertilized and after one week, the cells are extracted and the potential for life no longer exists. Having to fertilize the egg is ultimately where the controversy arises. At the beginning, news reports treated this issue like a breakthrough in science and pretty much reported on the facts. Controversy wasn't really presented in the media other than that it may stir up debates. Polling on the issue began in 2001 when the political basis of the issue was brought to the forefront of the media. When the federal government began debating the issue polls began and continued from there. Bush did not change government restrictions until after the polling began and despite a majority in favor of the research, he made his decision which seems to be based on personal feelings rather than that of the public. Researching the historical arena of this issue is quite short, but it is very interesting to look at an issue that began during my lifetime which helps me understand more where the country stood regarding this issue.