Green's surprising turn on stem cells
Like President Bush, President Obama could limit federal research to embryos created for reproductive purposes and abandoned before the statement of his policy. There are more than enough of these embryos to create all the lines we need for research. Under such a policy, there would be no use of embryos created with the intent of stem cell research....
[B]y observing that this policy represented only an extension of the one established by his predecessor, and by stressing the beneficial use of embryos that would otherwise be destroyed, President Obama could succeed in reducing the most vehement opposition to a manageable level.
This is unexpected, considering Green's track record of taking extremely permissive positions. By serving on the ethics advisory board of Advanced Cell Technology, he helped pave the way for cloning-based stem cell research, and opposed limits on payments for women's eggs that are needed for this speculative and unsuccessful line of work. Green has also advocated for inheritable genetic modification for height, weight, and intelligence in order to accelerate the economy and to better match children's outcomes with parents' high expectations.
Does Green's new found moderation represent a change in his perspective, or a shift to accommodate the changed political landscape, or something else? That remains to be seen.
Previously on Biopolitical Times: