Neurodegenerative diseases are doubly traumatic. Seemingly healthy people can gradually lose control of their muscles, motor-skills and even their minds. Then, even if the source of the degeneration can be stopped, neurons regenerate extremely slowly, if at all.

The bulk of neurons are formed during pre-natal development from stem cells. These are cells that have the potential to form a wide variety of different types of cells and are undifferentiated. Adults do have stem cells, but these are multipotent or oligopotent, meaning that they can only differentiate into a few types of cells. The adult brain even has a small pool of neural stem cells.

However, the most useful stem cells are those found in embryos, particularly those in the morula phase of foetal development. These stem cells are totipotent and can form any cell at all. It is hoped that research in this area will unlock a way to repair degenerative ailments. 

As far as scientific advancement goes, this is all very encouraging. However, there is one very large problem. The only way that these embryonic stem cells can be harvested is by sacrificing a set of cells that have the potential to become a human being.

For those who believe that human life is sacrosanct, and that life itself begins at conception, this is an insurmountable obstacle.

The US is the world’s largest medical research market. State-supported research at universities and private institutions is the most sophisticated in the world. But the US also has a deeply religious and conservative society, many of whom are profoundly opposed to state-support for embryonic stem cell research.

In 1996, under then President Bill Clinton, the Dickey-Wicker Amendment was introduced which prevents federally funded researchers from creating new embryonic stem cell lines. These are harvested from discarded embryos left following successful fertility treatments.

This significantly reduced the number of stem cell lines available for research purposes. Worse was to come. In 2001, President George W Bush introduced an executive law that cut the number of stem cell lines that scientists could use to just 21.

Stem cell research was dramatically reduced. Even so, many of the US’ individual states stepped into the breach. California, for example, set aside $3 billion for embryonic stem cell research.

Now newly-incumbent President Obama has reversed Bush’s executive order and allowed hundreds more embryonic stem cell lines back into use. The Dickey-Wicker act is still in force, and so new lines cannot be created, but this is still a significant improvement for scientists.

The problem, however, is more nuanced than just who happens to be president from day to day.

The argument about stem cells has been presented as either on or off; that one has to accept the “mass slaughter” of embryos in the name of scientific advancement, or no advancement at all.

Morality is a floating concept that is decided by voters through their elected representatives. Some liberal scientists are keen on human cloning experiments. Some Luddites want to stop all experimentation at all. Deciding on where the line should be drawn is a political one, certainly to be guided by scientists, but not to be decided by them.

Obama spoke of “restoring scientific integrity to government” and that scientists will be “free from manipulation or coercion.” Obama says his government will listen, “to what they tell us, even when it’s inconvenient,” and will ensure “that scientific data [are] never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda.”

Unfortunately, while Obama may currently be on the side of scientists, there is no such guarantee for his successors. Obama’s statements are a cop-out, leaving people feeling as if at the mercy of scientists rather than that science is a tool of society.

By not clearly defining the domain of political control, and leaving the way open for future changes to science policy, he is leaving this debate unfinished.