Election Results Signal Shift In Bioethics Debate, Opinion Piece Says

Main Category: Stem Cell Research
Also Included In: Abortion
Article Date: 11 Nov 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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Tuesday's election will be remembered for its "impact on core bioethical topics that have long dominated American domestic politics," including abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research, Arthur Caplan -- director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania -- writes in an MSNBC.com opinion piece. According to Caplan, the failure of state ballot initiatives that aimed to restrict abortion rights signals that the abortion debate may be subsiding, "while newer bioethical concerns that are likely to dominate American politics for years to come, including physician-assisted suicide," are emerging. In addition, the election of President-elect Barack Obama "has brought the fight over embryonic stem cell research in the U.S. to an end," because Obama has pledged to lift federal restrictions on the research, Caplan says.

Caplan writes that the passage of Michigan's Proposal 2 -- allowing research on embryos that were created for fertility treatments and would otherwise be discarded -- means that 10 states now have laws permitting embryonic stem cell research. "These 10 are likely to be the recipients of an executive order that the new president will undoubtedly sign shortly after taking office, freeing up federal funds for embryonic stem cell research while laying out new regulatory guidelines," Caplan writes. He continues, "Many, including myself, would argue that the ongoing debate over the morality of stem cell research is really just a stalking horse for the abortion debate." However, "efforts to further restrict abortion did not fare well at the ballot box," with voters in South Dakota and California both rejecting efforts to restrict abortion rights. In addition, a Colorado ballot measure that would have defined a fertilized egg as a person with constitutional rights failed by a measure of three to one, he notes.

"Taken all together, this series of votes represents an important moment in public bioethics in America," Caplan writes. He adds, "Like it or not -- and I am well aware that many are not ready to let go of these issues -- the nation may be starting to move past the endless battles over stem cells, embryos and abortion." He writes that embryonic stem cell research is advancing, embryos "are not going to be given legal status as persons" and "[f]urther restrictions on abortion are unlikely." As these issues fade from the spotlight, "how Americans die and treat painful medical conditions" will emerge as the dominant bioethical debate, according to Caplan (Caplan, MSNBC.com, 11/6).

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