Four years ago, Bush restricted federal funding to research on about 70 existing embryonic stem cell lines. Since that time, scientists discovered that many of these lines lack racially diverse genetics and are contaminated by mouse cell molecules. Bush’s refusal to revisit his 2001 decision in light of this information has prompted the search for other funding sources.

The stem cell research race is on, and federalism has taken the lead.

California recently voted to pour $3 billion over10 years into embryonic stem cell research, a wad of cash ten times larger than the current rate of federal support. The governor of Wisconsin just proposed spending $750 million on the state’s biotechnology industry, and the governor of New Jersey keeps pushing his state to spend $380 million on a stem cell institute and research funding.

Then there’s our very own Illinois. At the end of February, the state House and Senate simultaneously introduced legislation granting $1 billion to the Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute over a period of 10 years. Don’t worry – Illinois won’t pull this money from state schools but rather from a new cosmetic surgery tax. If Springfield passes this legislation, the citizens of Illinois will vote to approve it in the November 2006 general election.

One more thing. State House leader Tom Cross, a Republican, and Democratic proponent Sen. Jeffrey Schoenberg both back this legislation. In fact, it appears that support for stem cell research crosses party lines even on the national level, as 206 members of the U.S. House, including several pro-life Republicans, wrote to Bush last year urging federal funds for stem cell research.

Yet the president remains privy to extreme religious conservatives who call stem cell research unethical, likening it to abortion. Upon examination of the stem cell research process, I fail to comprehend the comparison.

See, according to the National Institute of Health, embryonic stem cells start as fertilized eggs unused by in-vitro fertilization clinics. Once these fertilized eggs develop into microscopic balls of cells called blastocysts, scientists transfer the inner cell mass of each blastocyst into a plastic culture dish. These cells, in turn, keep dividing and filling exponentially more culture dishes. Over a period of several months, the original cell mass gives rise to millions of undifferentiated cells, or to an embryonic stem cell line.

This process causes excitement in the medical world because scientists study the cell division to develop a better understanding of cancer. Even more promising, the undifferentiated stem cells do not yet have specific functions but retain the ability to become particular types of cells. This means that scientists can attempt to direct cell differentiation to produce replacement cells, muscle, and tissue for ailing body parts. For example, some researchers try to manipulate stem cells into the insulin-producing cells diabetics lack.

Abortion involves the termination of an embryo developing within a woman’s body and raises valid debate regarding rights afforded to potential humans. Whether or not all artificially fertilized eggs should be implanted in a woman’s womb, embryos used to create stem cell lines were not slated for implantation, but rather for destruction. Thus, these embryos had zero potential for life, contradicting the comparison between embryonic stem cell research and abortion. This suggests that embryonic stem cell research is not unethical but rather logical. It makes much more sense to conduct medical research on discarded fertilized eggs than to simply throw these cells in the trash.

For this reason, it is time for the president to reconsider the limits placed on federal funding four years ago, and if he won’t, Congress must override him. Federal funds must cover research on all stem cell lines from embryos unused by in-vitro fertilization clinics. In the meantime, state funding of stem cell research presents a welcome alternative. Next November, vote yes on Illinois-sponsored embryonic stem cell research. Federalism – not to mention people with cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, Parkinson’s, and arthritis – will thank you.