布什关于干细胞研究的演讲.docx
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布什关于干细胞研究的演讲.docx
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布什关于干细胞研究的演讲
布什关于干细胞研究的演讲
Goodevening.IappreciateyougivingmeafewminutesofyourtimetonightsoIcandiscusswith
youacomplexanddifficultissue,anissuethatisoneofthemostprofoundofourtime.
Theissueofresearchinvolvingstemcellsderivedfromhumanembryosisincreasinglythesubject
ofanationaldebateanddinnertablediscussions.Theissueisconfrontedeverydayinlaboratories
asscientistspondertheethicalramificationsoftheirwork.Itisagonizedoverbyparentsandmany
couplesastheytrytohavechildrenortosavechildrenalreadyborn.Theissueisdebatedwithinthe
church,withpeopleofdifferentfaiths,evenmanyofthesamefaith,comingtodifferent
conclusions.
Manypeoplearefindingthatthemoretheyknowaboutstemcellresearch,thelesscertaintheyare
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abouttherightethicalandmoralconclusions.
Myadministrationmustdecidewhethertoallowfederalfunds,yourtaxdollars,tobeusedfor
scientificresearchonstemcellsderivedfromhumanembryos.Alargenumberoftheseembryos
alreadyexist.Theyaretheproductofaprocesscalledinvitrofertilizationwhichhelpssomany
couplesconceivechildren.Whendoctorsmatchspermandeggtocreatelifeoutsidethewomb,they
usuallyproducemoreembryosthanareimplantedinthemother.Onceacouplesuccessfullyhas
childrenoriftheyareunsuccessful,theadditionalembryosremainfrozeninlaboratories.Some
willnotsurviveduringlongstorage,othersaredestroyed.Anumberhavebeendonatedtoscience
andusedtocreateprivatelyfundedstemcelllines.Andafewhavebeenimplantedinanadoptive
motherandbornandaretodayhealthychildren.
Basedonpreliminaryworkthathasbeenprivatelyfunded,scientistsbelievefurtherresearchusing
stemcellsoffersgreatpromisethatcouldhelpimprovethelivesofthosewhosufferfrommany
terriblediseases,fromjuvenilediabetestoAlzheimer,fromParkinsonstospinalcordinjuries.And
whilescientistsadmittheyarenotyetcertain,theybelievestemcellsderivedfromembryoshave
uniquepotential.
Youshouldalsoknowthatstemcellscanbederivedfromsourcesotherthanembryos:
fromadult
cells,fromumbilicalcordsthatarediscardedafterbabiesareborn,fromhumanplacentas.And
manyscientistsfeelresearchonthesetypesofstemcellsisalsopromising.Manypatientssuffering
fromarangeofdiseasesarealreadybeinghelpedwithtreatmentsdevelopedfromadultstemcells.
However,mostscientists,atleasttoday,believethatresearchonembryonicstemcellsoffersthe
mostpromisebecausethesecellshavethepotentialtodevelopinallofthetissuesinthebody.
Scientistsfurtherbelievethatrapidprogressinthisresearchwillcomeonlywithfederalfunds.
Federaldollarshelpattractthebestandbrightestscientists.Theyensurenewdiscoveriesarewidely
sharedatthelargestnumberofresearchfacilities,andthattheresearchisdirectedtowardthe
greatestpublicgood.
TheUnitedStateshasalongandproudrecordofleadingtheworldtowardadvancesinscienceand
medicinethatimprovehumanlife,andtheUnitedStateshasalongandproudrecordofupholding
thehigheststandardsofethicsasweexpandthelimitsofscienceandknowledge.Researchon
embryonicstemcellsraisesprofoundethicalquestions,becauseextractingthestemcelldestroys
theembryo,andthusdestroysitspotentialforlife.Likeasnowflake,eachoftheseembryosis
unique,withtheuniquegeneticpotentialofanindividualhumanbeing.
AsIthoughtthroughthisissueIkeptreturningtotwofundamentalquestions.First,arethesefrozen
embryoshumanlifeandthereforesomethingprecioustobeprotected?
Andsecond,ifthey'regoing
tobedestroyedanyway,shouldn'ttheybeusedforagreatergood,forresearchthathasthepotential
tosaveandimproveotherlives?
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I'veaskedthosequestionsandothersofscientists,scholars,bio-ethicists,religiousleaders,doctors,
researchers,membersofCongress,myCabinetandmyfriends.Ihavereadheartfeltlettersfrom
manyAmericans.Ihavegiventhisissueagreatdealofthought,prayer,andconsiderablereflection,
andIhavefoundwidespreaddisagreement.
Onthefirstissue,aretheseembryoshumanlife?
Well,oneresearchertoldmehebelievesthis
five-day-oldclusterofcellsisnotanembryo,notyetanindividualbutapre-embryo.Heargued
thatithasthepotentialforlife,butitisnotalifebecauseitcannotdeveloponitsown.
Anethicistdismissedthatasacallousattemptatrationalization."Makenomistake,"hetoldme,
"thatclusterofcellsisthesamewayyouandI,andalltherestofus,startedourlives.Onegoes
withaheavyheartifweusethese,"hesaid,"becausewearedealingwiththeseedsofthenext
generation."
Andtotheothercrucialquestion—Ifthesearegoingtobedestroyedanyway,whynotusethemfor
goodpurpose?
—Ialsofounddifferentanswers.Manyaretheseembryosarebyproductsofa
processthathelpscreatelifeandweshouldallowcouplestodonatethemtosciencesotheycanbe
usedforgoodpurposeinsteadofwastingtheirpotential.Otherswillarguethereisnosuchthingas
excesslifeandthefactthatalivingbeingisgoingtodiedoesnotjustifyexperimentingonitor
exploitingitasanaturalresource.
Atitscore,thisissueforcesustoconfrontfundamentalquestionsaboutthebeginningsoflifeand
theendsofscience.Itlivesatadifficultmoralintersection,juxtaposingtheneedtoprotectlifein
allitsphaseswiththeprospectofsavingandimprovinglifeinallitsstages.
Asthediscoveriesofmodernsciencecreatetremendoushope,theyalsolayvastethicalminefields.
Asthegeniusofscienceextendsthehorizonsofwhatwecando,weincreasinglyconfrontcomplex
questionsaboutwhatweshoulddo.Wehavearrivedatthatbravenewworldthatseemedsodistant
in1932whenAlduousHuxleywroteabouthumanbeingscreatedintesttubesinwhathecalleda
hatchery.
Inrecentweeks,welearnedthatscientistshavecreatedhumanembryosintesttubessolelyto
experimentonthem.Thisisdeeplytroublingandawarningsignthatshouldpromptallofus
tothinkthroughtheseissuesverycarefully.Embryonicstemcellresearchisattheleadingedgeofa
seriesofmoralhazards.Theinitialstemcellresearcherwasatfirstreluctanttobeginhisresearch,
fearingitmightbeusedforhumancloning.Scientistshavealreadyclonedasheep.Researchersare
tellingusthenextstepcouldbetoclonehumanbeingstocreateindividualdesignerstemcells,
essentiallytogrowanotheryou,tobeavailableincaseyouneedanotherheartorlungorliver.
Istronglyopposehumancloning,asdomostAmericans.Werecoilattheideaofgrowinghuman
beingsforsparebodypartsorcreatinglifeforourconvenience.Andwhilewemustdevote
enormousenergytoconqueringdisease,itisequallyimportantthatwepayattentiontothemoral
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concernsraisedbythenewfrontierofhumanembryostemcellresearch.Eventhemostnobleends
donotjustifyanymeans.
Mypositionontheseissuesisshapedbydeeplyheldbeliefs.I'mastrongsupporterofscienceand
technology,andbelievetheyhavethepotentialforincrediblegood—toimprovelives,tosavelife,
toconquerdisease.Researchoffershopethatmillionsofourlovedonesmaybecuredofadisease
andridoftheirsuffering.Ihavefriendswhosechildrensufferfromjuvenilediabetes.Nancy
ReaganhaswrittenmeaboutPresidentReagan'sstrugglewithAlzheimer's.Myownfamilyhas
confrontedthetragedyofchildhoodleukemia.AndlikeallAmericans,Ihavegreathopeforcures.
Ialsobelievehumanlifeisasacredgiftfromourcreator.Iworryaboutaculturethatdevalueslife,
andbelieveasyourpresidentIhaveanimportantobligationtofosterandencouragerespectforlife
inAmericaandthroughouttheworld.
Andwhilewe'reallhopefulaboutthepotentialofthisresearch,noonecanbecertainthatthe
sciencewillliveuptothehopeithasgenerated.
Eightyearsago,scientistsbelievedfetaltissueresearchofferedgreathopeforcuresandtreatments,
yettheprogresstodatehasnotliveduptoitsinitialexpectations.Embryonicstemcellresearch
offersbothgreatpromiseandgreatperil,soIhavedecidedwemustproceedwithgreatcare.
Asaresultofprivateresearch,morethan60geneticallydiversestemcelllinesalreadyexist.They
werecreatedfromembryosthathavealreadybeendestroyed,andtheyhavetheabilityto
regeneratethemselvesindefinitely,creatingongoingopportunitiesforresearch.
Ihaveconcludedthatweshouldallowfederalfundstobeusedforresearchontheseexistingstem
celllines,wherethelife-and-deathdecisionhasalreadybeenmade.Leadingscientiststellme
researchonthese60lineshasgreatpromisethatcouldleadtobreakthroughtherapiesandcures.
Thisallowsustoexplorethepromiseandpotentialofstemcellresearchwithoutcrossinga
fundamentalmorallinebyprovidingtaxpayerfundingthatwouldsanctionorencouragefurther
destructionofhumanembryosthathaveatleastthepotentialforlife.
Ialsobelievethatgreatscientificprogresscanbemadethroughaggressivefederalfundingof
researchonumbilicalcord,placenta,adultandanimalstemcells,whichdonotinvolvethesame
moraldilemma.Thisyearyourgovernmentwillspent$250milliononthisimportantresearch.
Iwillalsonameapresident'scounciltomonitorstemcellresearch,torecommen
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