Washington D.C., Sep 17, 2010 / 04:12 am
Almost half of Americans oppose federal funding of stem cell research which involves destroying human embryos, a new survey reports. Their opposition increases when they are informed of other options, and comparison with previous polls shows a “consistent level of moral concern” on the issue, the survey’s sponsor says.
On Aug. 23 U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that the U.S. government’s funding policy for human embryonic stem cell research (hESCR) violated the Dickey-Wicker Amendment, which prohibits funding for research that destroys human embryos. The judge barred the funding, but his injunction was overturned on Sept. 9.
The U.S. Senate is preparing to hold hearings on the issue while legislators such as Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) have proposed ways to secure the funding.
Seeking public opinion on the issue, International Communications Research (ICR) surveyed 1,006 adults from Sept. 8-14. Its survey claims a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points and was commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities.