Ted Agres correctly asserts in his recent article1 that, "...the issue of publicly funded stem cell research will probably not go away." But while he cites support from medical and health research champions in Congress, he fails to cite public opinion on the issue.
A recent poll, commissioned by the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research--a newly created organization comprised of universities, scientific societies, patients' organizations, and other entities that are devoted to ensuring that federal funding will be available for stem cell research--shows strong public support for such research, with 70 percent of those polled saying they support such research. In addition, 72 percent of Catholics, 63 percent of Fundamentalist Christians, and 56 percent of individuals who are pro life support the research.
We hope that with the strong backing of the public for this research, the Bush administration will make the decision to allow federal funding...
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