Wide support for therapeutic cloning of embryos for medical research.

Overall, poll participants said that therapeutic cloning of embryos for medical
research should be legal by an almost two-to-one ratio.

Those who indicated that they had voted for Gore overwhelmingly favored keeping
therapeutic cloning of embryos for medical research legal by almost a
three-to-one ratio.
Those who indicated that they had voted for Bush also said that therapeutic
cloning of embryos for medical research should be legal, but by a narrower
margin.

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Interesting, those who indicated that they had voted for Nader split evenly
over the issue. This may be a reflection of the fact that Nader’s support
appears to have come in part from those opposed to genetic engineering.
Arguably curing ailments such as stroke, spinal cord injuries, diabetes,
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease by the use of therapeutic cloning of
embryos is a form of genetic engineering as is in-vitro fertilization.

The participants were asked the question: Should research involving therapeutic
cloning of embryos which might cure diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
disease be legal?
The Latest Results are: (% of total answers)
All therapeutic cloning of embryos should be illegal and banned. (22.54%)
Therapeutic cloning of embryos for medical research should be legal. (42.88%)
No opinion or would rather not answer that question. (34.58%)

The results can be broken down by how the participants voted for president.
Which shows,
for those who indicated that they voted for Bush in 2000:
The Answers Were: (% of total answers)
All therapeutic cloning of embryos should be illegal and banned. (31.82%)
Therapeutic cloning of embryos for medical research should be legal. (37.01%)
No opinion or would rather not answer that question. (31.17%)

for those who indicated that they voted for Gore in 2000:
The Answers Were: (% of total answers)
All therapeutic cloning of embryos should be illegal and banned. (20.29%)
Therapeutic cloning of embryos for medical research should be legal. (53.62%)
No opinion or would rather not answer that question. (26.09%)

The House of Representatives recently passed legislation that would outlaw all
human cloning including therapeutic cloning of embryos for medical research.
The issue of cloning embryos for medical research is closely related to the
issue of embryonic stem-cell research. It appears that stem-cells extracted
from embryos might be successfully used to develop cures for ailments such as
stroke, spinal cord injuries, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Many researchers have said that in order to prevent rejection by the patient’s
immune system, genetic material from the patient would have to be introduced
into the stem-cells that were to be used for curing diseases.
The legislation outlawing all cloning would impose criminal penalties even on
patients in the USA who were treated with therapies derived from therapeutic
cloning of embryos for medical purposes.

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