Stem Cells May Swing Voters

They're the stuff of medical miracles, offering the promise of cures for multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, heart disease, lymphoma, diabetes, and even cancer.

Animal studies indicate embryonic stem cells may be able to cure diseases ranging from Alzheimer's to Parkinson's. Health advocates say that whether these cures come in 10 or 20 years depends on the speed of research – and on who wins the November election.

Embryonic stem cells are primordial cells with the ability to morph into any type of cell in the body. They can fight disease by replacing dying cells with healthy ones. And now they've become weapons in another battle: the fight to win November's Presidential election.

At the Democratic National Convention in July, vice presidential candidate John Edwards pledged that, if elected, presidential contender John Kerry would reverse President George W. Bush's August 2001 ban on federal funding for new embryonic stem cells. Since that date, researchers have not been permitted to fertilize human eggs with human sperm and use the resulting "stem cells" in government-supported studies. Edwards also promised to spend at least $100 million per year on stem cell research, which is three times what the Bush administration devoted to the cause in 2003.

At the Republican National Convention in August, GOP leaders were on the counter-attack. Republican Senate Majority leader Bill Frist stood before the nation and said, "The federal government is funding stem cell research at record levels. And the private sector remains free to fund and pursue any type of stem cell research. But this president will not use your taxpayer dollars to destroy human life or create human embryos solely for the purpose of experimentation."

Any Type of Cell

Embryonic stem cells form when a sperm and egg meet and the resulting cell begins to divide into a ball of cells called a blastocyst. Cells at this early stage of development are "undifferentiated" in that DNA has yet to give them specific marching orders. When transplanted to any part of the body, they can become any type of cell: muscle, skin, organ, tissue, bone or brain.

In addition to embryonic stem cells, there are two other types of stem cells: undifferentiated cells harvested from the tissues of adults and undifferentiated cells harvested from the tissues of fetuses. Though adult stem cells are used in bone marrow transplants and though fetal stem cells may be able to repair stroke damage to the brain, both types have their limitations.

They don't grow in lab dishes as readily as embryonic stem cells. They are more likely to be rejected when they are introduced into the body. And they don't migrate as readily to an injured area and form appropriate cell types.

Though adult stem cells and fetal stem cells have no restrictions on their funding, embryonic stem cells – in which scientists place the greatest hope – are subject to the Bush ban. Hoping to reverse this ban and garner more funding, health care advocates and lobbyists are putting pressure on both presidential candidates.

Supported By Most Voters

A July poll conducted by NBC news indicated that 71 percent of Americans support more embryonic stem cell research. Most Americans know someone who suffers from a disease that might be cured by these studies and many Americans will develop one of these diseases at some point in their own lives.

In another survey conducted in August by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 52 percent of Americans believe it is more important to study stem cells than to avoid destroying potential human life. The Pew poll found that most swing voters hold this view.

"This election is so close that stem cell research could become an important wedge issue," says Carroll Doherty, the associate director of the Pew Center. "Though Kerry isn't going to lose his supporters because of his position, Bush is more at risk. His views could alienate the 22 percent of Americans who are swing voters in this election."