歐巴馬總統簽署了一項命令，推翻布希政府對人類胚胎幹細胞研究的嚴格限制。

today with the executive order I am about to sign we will bring the change

that so many scientists and researchers

doctors and innovators patients and

loved ones have hoped for and fought for

these past eight years we will lift the

ban on federal funding for promising

embryonic stem cell research

we will also vigorously support

scientists who pursue this research

and we will aim for America to lead the

world in the discoveries in one day may

yield at this moment the full promise of

stem cell research remains unknown and

it should not be overstated but

scientists believe these tiny cells may

have the potential to help us understand

and possibly cure some of our most

devastating diseases and conditions to

regenerate a severed spinal cord and

lift someone from a wheelchair to spur

insulin production and spare a child

from a lifetime of needles to treat

Parkinson's cancer heart disease and

others that affect millions of Americans

and the people who love them but that

potential will not reveal itself on its

own medical miracles do not happen

simply by accident they result from

painstaking and costly research from

years of lonely trial and error much of

which never bears fruit and from a

government willing to support that work

from life-saving vaccines to pioneering

cancer treatments to the sequencing of

the human genome that is the story of

scientific progress in America when

government fails to make these

investments opportunities are missed

promising avenues go unexplored some of

our best scientists leave for other

countries that will sponsor their work

and those countries may surge ahead of

ours in the advances that transform our

lives in recent years when it comes to

stem cell research rather than

furthering discovery our government has

forced what I believe is a false choice

between sound science and moral values

in this case I believe the two are not

inconsistent as a person of faith I

believe we are called to care for each

other and work to ease human suffering I

believe we have been given the capacity

and will to pursue this research and the

humanity and conscience to do so

responsibly it's a difficult and

delicate balance and many thoughtful and

decent people are conflicted about or

strongly opposed this research and I

understand their concerns and I believe

that we must respect their point of view

but after much discussion debate and

reflection the proper course has become

clear the majority of Americans from

across the political spectrum and from

all backgrounds and beliefs have come to

a consensus that we should pursue this

research that the potential it offers is

great and with proper guidelines and

strict oversight the perils can be

avoided that is a conclusion with which

I agree and that is why I'm signing this

executive order and why I hope Congress

will act on a bipartisan basis to

provide further support for this

research we're joined today by many

leaders who have reached across the

aisle to champion this cause and I

commend all of them more here for that

work ultimately I cannot guarantee that

we will find the treatments and cures we

seek no president can promise that but I

can't promise that we will seek them

actively responsibly and with the

urgency required to make up for lost

ground not just by opening up this new

front of research today but by

supporting promising research of all

kinds including groundbreaking work to

convert ordinary human cells into ones

that resemble embryonic stem cells I can

also promise that we will never

undertake this research lightly we will

support it only when it is both

scientifically worthy and responsibly

conducted we will develop strict

guidelines which we will really enforce

because we cannot ever tolerate misuse

or abuse and we will ensure that our

government never opens the door to the

use of cloning for human reproduction it

is dangerous profoundly wrong and has no

place in our society or any society now

this order is an important step in

advancing the cause of science in

America but let's be clear promoting

science isn't just about providing

resources it's also about protecting

free and open inquiry it's about letting

scientists like those who are here today

do their jobs free from manipulation or

coercion and listening to what they tell

us even when it's inconvenient

especially when it

inconvenient it is about ensuring that

scientific data is never distorted or

concealed to serve a political agenda

and that we make scientific decisions

based on facts not ideology by doing

this by doing this we will ensure America's

continued global leadership in

scientific discoveries and technological

breakthroughs and that is essential not

only for our economic prosperity but for

the progress of all humanity and that's

why today I'm also signing a

presidential memorandum directing the

head of the White House Office of

Science and Technology Policy to develop

a strategy for restoring scientific

integrity to government decision-making

to ensure to ensure that in this new

administration we base our public

policies on the soundest science that we

appoint scientific advisors based on

their credentials and experience now

their politics or ideology and that we

are open and honest with the American

people about the science behind our

decisions that's how we'll harness the

power of science to achieve our goals to

preserve our environment protect our

national security to create the jobs of

the future and live longer healthier

lives as we restore our commitment to

science and expand funding for promising

stem-cell research

we owe a debt of gratitude to so many

tireless advocates some of whom were

with us today many of whom are not today

we honor all those whose names we don't

know to organized and raised awareness

and kept on fighting even when it was

too late for them or for the people they

love and we honor those we know who used

their influence to help others and bring

attention to this cause people like

Christopher and Dana Reeve who we wish

could be here to see this moment now one

of the Christopher's friends recalled

that he hung a sign on the wall of the

exercise room where he did his grueling

regimen of physical therapy and it read

for everyone who thought I couldn't do it

for everyone who thought I shouldn't do

it for everyone who said it's impossible

see you at the finish line

Christopher once told a reporter who was

interviewing him if you came back here

at 10:00 if you came back here in 10

years I expect that I'd walk to the door

to greet you now Christopher did not get

that chance but if we pursue this

research maybe one day maybe not in our

lifetime or even in our children's

lifetime but maybe one day

others like Christopher Reeves might

there's no finish line in the work of

science the race is always with us the

urgent work of giving substance to hope

and answering those many bedside prayers

of seeking a day when words like

terminal and incurable are potentially

retired from our vocabulary

today using every resource at our

disposal with renewed determination to

lead the world in the discoveries of

this new century we rededicate ourselves

to this work so before I sign I want to

just note the people who are on the

stage with me in addition to our

outstanding Secretary of Energy

secretary Chu we also have dr. Patricia

Beth we have dr. H Robert Horvitz we

have dr. Janet Rowley dr. Harold Varmus

who's going to be the co-chair of my

President's Council on science we've got

dr. Michael Bishop and we also have dr.

Peter agree so these are an example of

the outstanding scientists who we hope

will guide us through this process in

the years to come and with them standing

beside me I'd also like to invite some

of my colleagues from Congress who have

done just such extraordinary work to

share in the limelight because you guys

are still going to have some work to do

and but it's because of the leadership

of so many of you across across partisan

lines that we've been able to accomplish

so much already so thank you very much

everybody let's go sign this

to work