Cagle Cartoons
ClassBrain & Cagle Cartoons
Current Events Project #3
By Cartoon: Parker, Florida Today
Project: Cynthia Kirkeby and Craig Peters of MathCounts
Mar 22, 2009, 22:00 PST

© Bob Englehart, The Hartford Courant 2009

Reversing the precedents set during the Bush years, President Obama has freed up scientific inquiries into stem cell research. Scientists have been frustrated through the past decade by former President Bush's stance that despite the great promise shown by stem cell research, only 60 stem cell lines were to be used for research, since they had already been created. Who would get to use the lines, and how many experiments could they run with the small amounts of genetic material available?

Some of the most promising research with stem cells has been related to Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injuries. Now that the moratorium has been lifted, substantial progress may be seen in these particular fields.

Questions To Ponder

• Do you think that stem cell research should be allowed to progress, or do you think the moratorium should continue?
  
  
• Do you think that the moratorium on Stem Cell Research was influenced by former President Bush's religious background?
  
  
• If you were President, would you ban or allow stem cell research during your term in office?
  
  
• How real are the fears of human cloning?

Learning Links for Stem Cell Research