Stem Cell Research: Debunking Conservative Misinformation

Washington, D.C. -- With members of the House of Representatives expected to reintroduce legislation expanding federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research today, Media Matters for America addressed common examples of conservative misinformation perpetuated in the media surrounding the stem cell discussion.

Conservative Misinformation on Stem Cell Research

Bush is the first president to federally fund stem cell research. President Bush has repeatedly claimed -- and news outlets have often uncritically reported -- that he is "the first president ever to allow funding" for human embryonic stem cell research. In fact, while Bush is the first president to preside over the flow of federal funds to such research, President Clinton was the first to approve federal funding for these purposes. Indeed, in August 2000, the Clinton administration released new guidelines through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that allowed federally funded research on embryonic stem cells extracted in the private sector and established strict oversight of this research. These rules, however, had yet to be implemented when Clinton left office and were quickly suspended by the incoming Bush administration in favor of its own, stricter set of rules.

Bush authorized federal funding on 78 stem cell lines. Some news outlets have credited Bush with authorizing federal research on 78 stem cell lines that were created prior to August 9, 2001. But while the NIH does list 78 stem cell lines as being eligible for federal funding under Bush's 2001 policy, the NIH lists only 22 of them as currently "available" for federally funded research -- meaning of sufficient research "quality" and legally obtainable by U.S. researchers.

More Items from Media Matters for America

On stem cells, CNN gives equal billing to conservative activist, scientific consensus

http://mediamatters.org/items/200701090015

A CNN report on stem cells derived from amniotic fluid equated an opponent of embryonic stem cell research who has peddled a discredited list of ailments purportedly treatable from adult stem cell research with "other scientists" who "argue that embryonic stem cells are unique and hold the power to potentially cure many diseases."

USA Today, Beck misleadingly claimed Bush is first president to fund embryonic stem cell research

http://mediamatters.org/items/200607260001

USA Today uncritically reported that Bush "has pointed out that he is the first president" to provide federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research. Similarly, CNN's Glenn Beck stated that "[i]t was George Bush who opened the doors for federal funding [for stem cell research]. He was the first president to fund it," and that "Bill Clinton in 1995 opposed" research on embryos. In fact, the Clinton administration proposed federal funding and, later, drafted guidelines to fund embryonic stem cell research, but those rules had yet to take effect when he left office.

Fox's Garrett reported that Bush authorized federally funded research on 78 stem cell lines; did not mention that only 22 of them are available

http://mediamatters.org/items/200607180005

On Fox News' Special Report, Major Garrett reported that Bush "authorized federal research on 78 stem cell lines" but omitted the fact that only 22 of those lines are currently available to U.S. researchers.

CNN's Beck, Fox's Angle misleadingly claimed Bush "was the first president to ever actually give federal funding to stem cell research"

http://mediamatters.org/items/200610300003

Beck and Fox News' Jim Angle repeated the misleading claim that Bush was "the first" president to allow funding for human embryonic stem cell research, even though the Clinton administration drafted guidelines to fund embryonic stem cell research, but those rules had yet to take effect when Clinton left office and were suspended by the Bush administration in favor of its own, stricter set of rules.

Ignoring researchers' widespread concerns at the time it was announced, Wash. Post editorial claimed Bush stem cell policy "has proved unduly restrictive"

http://mediamatters.org/items/200607180002

A Washington Post editorial baselessly asserted that the Bush administration's policy on embryonic stem cell research was a "compromise" that "made sense" at the time but has since "proved unduly restrictive." In fact, concerns among the research community that the White House policy would be overly restrictive were widely reported in 2001, and the Post editorial board noted some of these concerns in an editorial at the time.

Wall Street Journal editorial page wrong on Bush's stem cell policy

http://mediamatters.org/items/200505260005

A May 26, 2005, Wall Street Journal editorial falsely claimed that Bush's August 2001 policy announcement on embryonic stem cell research "forbade funding for research into new [stem cell] lines, which entailed both the creation and destruction of human embryos." In fact, the creation of human embryos is not necessary to derive new stem cell lines. Bush's policy banned federal funding not only for the creation of stem cell-producing embryos, but also for the creation of stem cell lines from existing embryos created for, but not used in, in vitro fertilization. On May 24, 2005, the House passed a bill that would remove the current ban on such funding. Bush vetoed the bill after it passed the Senate.

For More Stem Cell Items by Media Matters for America:

http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/search_results?qstring=stem+cell

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