Reproduction Research Held Back By Diffuse Rules, Charged Politics

The current sociopolitical climate in the United States affects funding and the ability to draw new investigators into the field, scientists contend. It seems as if one aspect of reproduction research or another is perpetually making headlines. In the most recent example, reports of cloned animals touched off a firestorm of debate on human cloning. Some researchers and ethicists contend that the field's notoriety comes from its connection with abortion-rights issues, an association that has st

Written byKaren Young Kreeger

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The current sociopolitical climate in the United States affects funding and the ability to draw new investigators into the field, scientists contend.

It seems as if one aspect of reproduction research or another is perpetually making headlines. In the most recent example, reports of cloned animals touched off a firestorm of debate on human cloning. Some researchers and ethicists contend that the field's notoriety comes from its connection with abortion-rights issues, an association that has stimulated confusion about policies governing federally funded research. In turn, the abortion stigmatization affects funding and the ability to attract young investigators to the field, scientists maintain.

SOCIOCULTURAL ASPECTS: Debate surrounding reproduction research is reflective of "our democratic form of government," remarks NIH’s Michael McClure. "We live in a time of unresolved consensus regarding human reproduction research at the national level," says Michael McClure, chief of the reproductive science branch at the National Institute of ...

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