What About Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Mr. President?
Frank Cocozzelli printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Sun Feb 22, 2009 at 01:48:47 PM EST
It has now been over one month since President Obama was inaugurated. As someone who stands to benefit from the proper federal funding and oversight of embryonic stem cell research, I want to know why the President has yet to rescind the Bush administration restrictions of August 9, 2001 that were one of his signature appeasements to the Religious Right.
In the 2008 New York Presidential Primary I voted for Hillary Clinton. One of the deciding factors for me was her promise to rescind the Bush administration's onerous restrictions on the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. At the time, then-candidate Obama was barely giving lip-service to the issue.

Although Obama eventually won the nomination, I soon became comfortable with his position on embryonic stem cell research. I was confident that shortly after his inauguration - perhaps within minutes -- that the August 9, 2001 restrictions would be history.

Or, so I thought.

It now seems that the president is now awaiting Congressional legislation that would fund the research. That may be well and good, but an immediate executive order rescinding the