Donald Trump’s stance on stem cell research, particularly involving embryonic stem cells, has been somewhat ambiguous based on his actions and the broader policy context during his presidency. Here’s what we know so far:
In 2019, the administration moved to eliminate some federally funded research that relies on fetal tissue from elective abortions and to regulate others more tightly. This action could be interpreted as a discouragement of certain forms of stem cell research, particularly those involving human embryonic stem cells which often rely on fetal tissue for research purposes.
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2016: President-elect Donald Trump announced Rep. Tom Price [R-GA] for HHS Secretary. Price has voted ‘no’ on stem cell issues in the past.
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President-elect Donald J. Trump stepped into office in January 2017 and many wondered if he would take the typical Republican stance on stem cell research that involves limiting the use of embryonic stem cells or fetal tissue. In 2019, the Trump administration moved to eliminate some federally funded research that relies on fetal tissue from elective abortions and to regulate others more tightly.
Trump is unlike any Republican President to take office before him, but it is unclear whether he would take a stand similar to the one President Reagan made in 1980, when The Gipper decided not to renew the Ethics Advisory Board’s charter, which effectively put a halt to embryonic stem cell research at the time.
Similarly, in August 2001, President George W. Bush prohibited the federal funding of any research using stem cell lines derived after August 9, 2001. This was later reversed by President Barack Obama in 2009.
Although Trump has not taken an official stance on stem cell research, he has vowed to cancel every order, memorandum, or executive action made by President Obama that he deems to be unconstitutional, which might include Obama’s first executive order in office that loosened restrictions put in place by President George W. Bush, titled Removing Barriers to Responsible Scientific Research Involving Human Stem Cells.
Former Vice President Pence wrote an op-ed in 2009 responding to Obama’s decision and said “I am a Christian who believes that life begins at conception and that a human embryo is human life…Therefore, I believe it is morally wrong to create human life to destroy it for research. Not only that, I believe it is morally wrong to take the tax dollars of millions of pro-life Americans, who believe that life is sacred, and use it to fund the destruction of human embryos for research.”
As for Trump’s 2024 running mate, JD Vance, there’s no direct quote or policy statement specifically addressing stem cell research at this time.
The fate of scientific research in the U.S. may rely more on the sentiments of mainstream Republicans, such as former VP Pence, who will dominate Congress, and not so much on Trump, despite the fact that the U.S. is expected to represent the largest stem cell market in North America and doing so could be a boon for the economy and the future of science.