How do voters feel about stem cell research?

Polls have shown that most Americans favour stem cell research, which may hold cures for Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer’s disease, and other disorders. President Bush opposes the destruction of unwanted embryos donated from fertility clinics to produce stem cells.

What is your opinion about using embryonic stem cells for research?

However, human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research is ethically and politically controversial because it involves the destruction of human embryos. As a matter of religious faith and moral conviction, they believe that “human life begins at conception” and that an embryo is therefore a person.

Why Should stem cell research be publicly funded?

Despite the significant portion of Americans that do not support embryonic stem cell research, it should be federally funded because of the potential health benefits, the definition of human, and the opportunity to clearly define regulations for ethical research.

How many people know about stem cells?

A majority of respondents (54 percent) correctly identified the source of embryonic stem cells as leftover human embryos from fertility clinics, but more than 65 percent believed that stem cells from amniotic fluid and cord blood would produce the same scientific results as embryonic stem cells.

What is stem cell cloning?

General Stem Cell Knowledge. Cloning, or somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), is the technique used to produce Dolly the sheep, the first animal to be produced as a genetic copy of another adult. In this procedure, the nucleus of an egg cell is removed and replaced by the nucleus of a cell from another adult.

Can stem cell research lead to cloning?

The stem cells can be induced to differentiate into different types of cells as needed (heart, nerve, muscle, etc.). These cells are genetically identical to the patient’s own cells (that is, they are cloned). In the future, the cloned cells could be transplanted into the patient to replace damaged cells.

How you would or could use embryonic stem cells in the scientific community?

Embryonic stem cells could be used to make more specialized tissues that have been lost to disease and injury. For tissues that are constantly replaced, like blood and skin, stem cells would probably be replaced directly.

Do surveys measure public reactions to stem cell and therapeutic cloning?

These previous analyses, however, have not focused specifically on surveys measuring public reactions either to stem cell or therapeutic cloning research. “Stem cells” are utility and repair units of the body that serve a central function in the maintenance and regeneration of organs and tissues throughout life.

Should the general public share more scientific opinions with scientists?

If the general public is to share more opinions with members of the scientific community, scientists themselves cannot ignore concerns that people may have about research process or findings, Leshner wrote. “ [T]here needs to be a conversation, not a lecture.

Do Americans understand the meaning of “cloning”?

As early as 1986, 69 percent of the public indicated that they understood the meaning of the term “cloning.” However, the recent debate whether to ban all forms of cloning, or to allow cloning only for medical research purposes appears to have complicated matters for the public.

Will stem cell research at U-M be affected by the constitutional amendment?

All human embryonic stem cell research at the University of Michigan will fully conform to the provisions of the new state constitutional amendment. In addition, U-M scientists will strictly adhere to the guidelines for the conduct of human embryonic stem cell research issued by the International Society for Stem Cell Research.