"Superman" star and stem cell research champion Christopher
Reeve reportedly remarked during a visit to Israel last week that
he stands a good chance to walk again if "politics and religion
will not interfere with progress for a cure." Reeve, who was left
paralyzed after a 1995 horseback riding accident, is right in his
observation that politics and religion are entwined with the issue
of stem cell research. Given proposed legislation and division
observed among Americans in recent Gallup surveys on the issue,
they are not likely to part ways soon.
Scientists have studied the potential medical uses of stem
cells, which are simply "blank" cells that may become specialized
cells, for decades. Currently, adult and umbilical stem cells are
used to treat leukemia and some blood disorders. Scientists are
hopeful that with continued research on adult and embryonic stem
cells, they could be used to cure and treat Parkinson's disease,
spinal cord injuries, strokes, diabetes, and a host of other
disorders and diseases. However, where those cells come from is
where the debate starts, and where politics and religion enter the
picture.
Adult stem cells can be retrieved from "adult" tissue and
umbilical cords, while embryonic cells are culled from leftover
embryos created by in vitro fertilization, the organs of aborted
fetuses, or cloned embryos. The use of embryos -- considered by
some to be human life or potential human life -- is the most
divisive aspect of this research.
After President George W. Bush's announcement in 2001 that the
federal government would fund research only on stem cells that come
from existing cell lines, and that no government money would assist
research on stem cells from newly destroyed embryos, embryos
created specifically for research purposes, or cloned embryos,
Gallup began asking Americans for their views on the moral
acceptability of this research.
Over the past two years, a slim majority of Americans has found
medical research using embryonic stem cells acceptable. In May
2003*, 54% of Americans said that this research was morally
acceptable, while 38% said it was morally wrong. Real division
among Americans, however, traces to differences in ideology,
religiosity, and attitudes toward abortion. The results further
reinforce the idea that the stem cell research debate is largely a
religious one.
Religion and Ideology
Americans who attend church weekly and those who identify with
the pro-life position on abortion are the least likely to find
medical research using embryonic stem cells morally acceptable.
According to the May 2003 survey, 38% in each group said that this
research was morally acceptable, while slightly more than half in
each group said it was morally wrong. Those who attend church
weekly are substantially less likely than those who attend church
nearly weekly (56%) or seldom attend (67%) to feel it is morally
acceptable. Seventy-one percent of those who identify with the
pro-choice position said embryonic stem cell research is morally
acceptable, versus 38% of pro-lifers.
Division on this issue is also apparent in Americans'
ideological preferences, which are related to religiosity.
Conservatives are considerably less likely than either moderates or
liberals to feel that this research is morally acceptable.
Forty-five percent of Americans who identify themselves as
conservatives said it is morally acceptable, compared with 61% of
moderates and 65% of liberals.
Although a Republican president placed limits on research
funding, views on the moral acceptability of this research don't
manifest partisan distinctions. Republicans, Democrats and
independents don't vary much in their views. Roughly half of
Americans who identify themselves with one of these three groups
finds medical research with embryonic cells morally acceptable. In
fact, the latest proposed legislation on stem cell research -- a
bill on umbilical cords introduced July 24 -- was sponsored by both
Republican and Democratic legislators.
Bottom Line
The U.S. stance on embryonic stem cell research may seem
unreasonable to American scientists, but similar debates are
developing elsewhere around the globe. Early last month, the
European Commission proposed guidelines on embryonic stem cell
research in EU countries, and opposition is expected from member
countries where the practice is banned for moral or ethical
reasons. As medical technology advances worldwide and the issue of
stem cell research becomes more prominent, it could be an
interesting barometer of religious and ideological mores in
different countries.
*Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,005
national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted May 5-7, 2003. For
results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say
with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is ±3
percentage points.
