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news.President-elect Barack Obama said he wanted legislation in Congress to permit federal funding on stem cell research and lift ban imposed by Bush administration. Stem cells are primitive cells from early-stage embryos capable of developing into almost every tissue of the body. Medical scientists believe stem cell research could prove major in finding a cure for a number of serious diseases, including also diabetes and cancer.
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“But I like the idea of the American people’s representatives expressing their views on an issue like this,” he said, lauding a “bipartisan” consensus in Congress that such research is ethical and potentially life-saving.
If the research could yield hope for victims of degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, “I think that sends a powerful message,” he said.
By imposed ban on federal funding for stem cell research, Bush administration sided with religious conservatives who argue that research on embryos destroys human life, albeit at its earliest stage of development.