President Bush is faced with a very difficult decision – should the federal government fund embryonic stem cell research?

There are two passionate sides to this debate, with pro-life advocates arguing the immorality of using human embryos for experiments.

Supporters, on the other hand, argue this research is among medicine’s most promising areas of study, with infinite possibilities awaiting.

We think President Bush should make the right decision and fund embryonic stem cell research.

There are adult stem cells that opponents would have no problem with using for similar research, but medical professionals have said they are not as valuable as embryonic cells.

Since embryonic stem cells have the ability to become any human organ or tissue, researchers claim extended research can lead to new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, spinal cord injuries, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, diabetes and many more serious ailments that affect millions of people.

The possibilities are indeed endless.

Even staunch pro-life advocates, such as Orrin Hatch and Strom Thurmond, have come out in favor of funding the research, claiming the cells do not constitute a human life, and supporting such important research outweighs the harm done to the embryo.

The thought that embryonic stem cell research will undoubtedly lead to cures for serious diseases is a misconception. We don’t know for sure what the benefits of this research will be.

What we do know is that there are a lot of things this can possibly lead to, and our government should do everything possible to support something that could benefit hundreds of millions of people worldwide suffering from the serious ailments it hopes to alleviate.

Researchers at the Jones Institute in Virginia created embryos solely for research. This is something we think may be crossing ethical and moral lines.

Using stem cells from in vitro fertilization embryos kept frozen at fertility clinics would seem to be the better choice of supply for experiments, eliminating anyone “playing God.”

No one is being anti-life by arguing to fund embryonic stem cell research.

In fact, it is quite the opposite.

Our government can either be pro-life for an unplanted frozen embryo that will be discarded anyway, or pro-life for the hundreds of millions of people who are suffering from horrifying illnesses.

We hope President Bush chooses the latter.

editorialboard: Michelle Kann, Tim Paluch, Zach Calef, Ruth Hitchcock, Cavan Reagan