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August 9, 2001
CONTACT:
Sean Tipton
202-863-2494
stipton@asrm-dc.org
ASRM Statement Bush Stem Cell Decision
Statement Attributable to Michael Soules,
M.D.
President, American Society for Reproductive Medicine
"ASRM is very pleased that President Bush has seen the value of
embryonic stem cells and will allow some federally funded researchers to
search for cures using these tissues. However, we are concerned that he
may have compromised the science, and delayed cures, by bowing to
political pressure.
Federal support and oversight is the best way
to ensure that this research is done for the public good. Funding from the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) will assure that the research is done
according to the highest scientific and ethical standards. Federal funding
is the best way to make sure that the results of this research are readily
available to the public and to the scientific community. The President's
decision will put much of this research outside the realm of federal
funding.
The President's decision to limit federal funds to only
those stem cell lines already in existence will severely inhibit our
ability to unlock the huge potential of embryonic stem cells. We simply do
not know enough about how stem cells work, or about the lines already in
existence to say that they are adequate for research
purposes.
Indeed the President seems to have information far
different from that of the bulk of the medical community. We were only
aware of a very small number of stem cell derived tissue lines and cannot
confirm the existence of the large number the President mentioned in his
speech.
We also concerned about the nature and composition of the
task force the President is creating. The issues surrounding embryo
research and embryonic stem cell research have been studied repeatedly. We
simply cannot afford additional delay.
We are confident that
research involving human embryos and embryonic stem cells can be done
ethically. Every day, clinicians and researchers in Assisted Reproductive
Technology clinics are handling human embryos under the highest ethical
standards.
ASRM, founded in 1944, has more than 8,500 members
who are devoted to advancing knowledge and expertise in reproductive
medicine and biology. ASRM-affiliate societies include the Society
of Reproductive Surgeons, the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and
Infertility, the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology, and the
Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology.