Embryo cell research divides public, Senate

Christian Century, April 24, 2002

AS A SPLIT U.S. Senate prepared to debate the issue, a national survey has depicted Americans as overwhelmingly opposed to human cloning but somewhat in favor of government funding of stem cell research that might yield medical advances. Pollsters cautioned, however, that public support for stem cell experiments has eroded and lacks the commitment of religious conservatives.

Highly committed, white evangelical Protestants tend to oppose federal funding for stem cell research, according to a study released April 9 by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Surveying 2,002 adults in late February and early March, pollsters found 77 percent of Americans oppose embryo cloning to produce babies and 17 percent favor it--not a surprising result.

"The high opposition to human cloning seems to fit with the public sense of distaste when contemplating the potential existence of human clones," said Melissa Rogers, executive director of the Washington-based Pew Forum. "On the stem cell issue, Americans seem to make some distinctions, and they seem to be really torn between two competing values--the potential for medical cures and ... protection of the human embryo."

The poll showed that--regardless of whether they had heard anything about the issue--43 percent of Americans support government funding of stem cell research while 35 percent do not. Those figures show a decrease in support since last August, when a Gallup poll found that 55 percent approved of the funding and 29 percent did not.

However, when counting only respondents who said they had heard at least a little about the debate, researchers found that support of stem cell research funding rose to 50 percent. White mainline Protestants were 59 percent in favor; college graduates were 64 percent supportive. "Religion plays a relatively minor role in shaping the views of supporters; just 5 percent cite it as having the biggest influence on their thinking," according to a Pew news release. News stories and education were identified as the biggest influences on supporters.

The legislative and executive maneuvering has been on hiatus since last summer. In July the House passed a ban on all aspects of cloning by a 265-162 margin. The next month, President Bush reached what he felt was a compromise, but it actually satisfied neither scientists nor religious opponents. By executive order Bush permitted continuation of federal grants for research on embryonic stem cell lines already created, arguing that in this way no new embryos would be created only to be snuffed out in the name of science.

A Senate bill similar to the House-passed bill got strong endorsement from Bush on April 9. "I believe all human cloning is wrong, and both forms of cloning ought to be banned," Bush said. "Research cloning would contradict the most fundamental principle of medical ethics--that no human life should be exploited or extinguished for the benefit of another," the president told some 175 doctors, scientists, lawmakers and religious activists who oppose cloning.

At that point, however, both sides said there was a 40-40 split. Senators hope to take some action before the Memorial Day weekend, but the predominantly Democratic opposition talked of blocking passage of a comprehensive ban if all else failed. Many scientists defend what is sometimes called therapeutic cloning for its promise of treatment for sufferers of Parkinson's disease, childhood diabetes and other disorders.

In the Pew survey, 47 percent of those surveyed who knew at least a little bit about the stem cell issue say it is more important to conduct the research in hopes of finding medical cures, while 39 percent said it is more important not to destroy the potential life of human embryos involved in the research. Asked if they might change their minds, about half of the research supporters said it was possible. Only 23 percent of research opponents believed they could change their opinions. --RNS

Mainline, Catholics favor
Federal funding for stem cell research

                     Should   Should not

All                    50%        35%

White evangelicals     33%        47%
White mainline         59%        27%
White Catholic         51%        33%
Black (total)          48%        37%
Hispanic (total)       49%        39%
Secular                64%        23%

Views of those who have heard at least a little about the stem cell
debate in Washington, drawn from a national survey of 2,002 persons.

Source: Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
and Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life