第一篇:美國總統奧巴馬將簽署命令取消干細胞研究限制
美國總統奧巴馬將簽署命令取消干細胞研究限制
內容來源:新華網
美國著名的生物學家戴利(George Daley)就曾預言:“20世紀是藥物治療的時代,21世紀將是細胞治療的時代”。
2009 年 3 月,美國總統奧巴馬在簽署他上任后的第一個干細胞法案時說: “干細胞治療將使絕癥或不治之癥詞匯消失!”
據“中央社”報道,為履行競選承諾,美國總統奧巴馬將于美國華盛頓當地時間9日上午11時45分,在白宮東廂簽署一項行政命令,取消禁止使用聯邦經費研究胚胎干細胞的禁令。美國前總統布什于2001年8月9日下令禁止進行新研究,使得各相關研究機構的研究項目,被限制在禁令發布前已經開發的21條干細胞株。奧巴馬在競選期間承諾,如果當選總統,將取消這項禁令。
醫學界認為胚胎干細胞研究將使21世紀醫學邁向新境界,許多目前無法有效治療的病癥,包括帕金森氏癥、糖尿病及脊髓受傷,都可能找到答案,因為胚胎干細胞可以發展成各種需要的組織。
新聞背景:美國的胚胎干細胞研究之爭
新華網華盛頓3月9日電(記者任海軍)美國總統奧巴馬9日簽署行政命令,宣布解除對用聯邦政府資金支持胚胎干細胞研究的限制,美國的胚胎干細胞研究有望進入新階段。
2001年8月,美國時任總統布什宣布對胚胎干細胞研究設限,規定聯邦政府對胚胎干細胞研究的資助僅限于研究當時已有的胚胎干細胞,不得資助從新胚胎中提取干細胞進而開展研究。近年來,關于聯邦政府是否應進一步支持胚胎干細胞研究的問題曾數次在美國引起激烈爭論,取消上述限制的呼聲也日益高漲。
布什一直認為,從胚胎中提取干細胞無異于“故意摧毀人類胚胎”,這是他本人“不能跨越的道德底線”。這也代表了美國相當一部分保守人士的觀點。
不過,美國科學界和公眾普遍支持胚胎干細胞研究。2007年6月20日,美國“拉斯穆森”民意調查公司公布的調查數據顯示,有三分之二的美國人相信,胚胎干細胞研究會有助于人類治愈某些頑疾。同一天,美國《科學》雜志網站公布的調查顯示,半數以上因不孕癥進行體外受精并移植胚胎的美國人,愿意將多余胚胎捐獻出來用于胚胎干細胞研究。美國科學促進會也發表聲明說,科學界的主流觀點認為,胚胎干細胞是極有前景的研究領域,通過這項研究有望找到攻克人類諸多頑疾的新療法。
然而,民意和科學界的呼吁沒能改變布什的立場。在其任內,布什曾兩度否決國會提交的放寬聯邦政府資助胚胎干細胞研究的法案。
近年來,由于無法得到足夠的研究資金,美國越來越多的胚胎干細胞研究人員轉向別國尋求發展,美國在這一研究領域也有些落伍。
新聞背景:干細胞、胚胎干細胞和iPS細胞
新華網華盛頓3月9日電 成年生物體內有多種體細胞,例如血液細胞、肌肉細胞、免疫細胞和神經細胞等等,它們形態各異,具有不同的功能。干細胞則是未充分分化、具有自我更新和分化潛能的細胞。
如果把體細胞比喻成具有一技之長的“專門人才”,干細胞就是尚不具備專門才能,但可以通過學習成才的“潛在人才”,可以分化為多種成體細胞。分化一旦完成,體細胞的“職業”就確定了。
受精卵分裂發育成囊胚時內層細胞團的細胞即為胚胎干細胞,它具有“全能”的發展潛力,可以分化成所有不同種類的體細胞。就像剛出生的嬰兒,雖然沒有任何專門才能,但未來有著無限的可能,長大后具體成為什么領域的人才取決于培養過程。
由于胚胎干細胞的“全能”性,僅從技術角度來說,用胚胎干細胞來培養人體組織和器官以治療疾病是最理想的。但胚胎干細胞要從胚胎中提取,有關研究在一些國家遇到倫理方面的反對,進行得不太順利。成年動物體內也有一些干細胞,稱為成體干細胞。它們具有一定的分化潛力,但分化方向比較固定,比如造血干細胞通常只發展成血液細胞。成體干細胞就像已經接受過大量專業訓練的學生,一般只會發展成特定領域的人才。
成體干細胞不涉及倫理問題,研究比較便利,然而其分化能力有限。雖然科學家曾成功改變成體干細胞的分化方向,但總體而言,“跨專業發展”對成體干細胞而言相當困難。
2007年11月,美國和日本科學家分別宣布獨立發現將普通皮膚細胞轉化為干細胞的方法,這樣得到的干細胞稱為誘導多功能干細胞,又名iPS細胞。iPS細胞具有和胚胎干細胞類似的功能,卻繞開了胚胎干細胞研究一直面臨的倫理和法律等諸多障礙,因此在醫療領域的應用前景非常廣闊。
目前,國際上關于iPS細胞的研究可謂日新月異,是干細胞研究的熱點領域之一。
第二篇:美國總統奧巴馬起訴中國稀土出口限制演講稿
美國總統奧巴馬起訴中國稀土出口限制演講稿
第一部分:奧巴馬回應美軍無故射殺至少16名阿富汗平民
Good morning, everybody.Before I make an announcement about our efforts to stand up for U.S.businesses and U.S.workers, I'd like to say a few words about the situation in Afghanistan.大家早上好。在我宣布有關維護美國企業和美國工人利益的事項之前,我想就阿富汗局勢說幾句話。
Over the weekend, as many of you know, there was a tragic incident in which a number of Afghan civilians were killed.What I've made to President Karzai when I spoke to him is that the United States takes this as seriously as if it was our own citizens and our own children who were murdered.We're heartbroken over the loss of innocent life.The killing of innocent civilians is outrageous and it's unacceptable.It's not who we are as a country, and it does not represent our military.如你們許多人所知,上周末發生了一件悲慘事件,一些阿富汗平民被殺害。我在與卡爾扎伊(Karzai)總統通話時向他明確表示,美國極為重視這一事件,如同我們自己的公民和我們自己的孩子被殺害一樣。無辜的生命被殺害,我們傷痛欲絕。殺害無辜平民的行為令人發指,不可容忍。這不符合我們國家的精神,這并不代表我們的。
And for that reason, I've directed the Pentagon to make sure that we spare no effort in conducting a full investigation.I can assure the American people and the Afghan people that we will follow the facts wherever they lead us, and we will make sure that anybody who was involved is held fully accountable with the full force of the law.為此,我已經指示五角大樓,保證我們不遺余力地進行全面調查。我可以向美國人民和阿富汗人民保證,我們將遵照事實,不論情況如何。我們保證通過法律全力追究任何參與者的全部責任。
Yesterday, I met with General Allen and Ambassador Crocker, who were here in Washington, and I've extraordinary confidence in them and in the many Americans who are serving in Afghanistan and who have made extraordinary sacrifices to be there.Today I'll be meeting with Prime Minister Cameron, who is part of our broad coalition serving in Afghanistan, and we'll have an opportunity to consult about the way forward as we prepare for the NATO summit in Chicago later this spring.昨天,我會見了在華盛頓的艾倫(Allen)將軍和克羅克(Crocker)大使,我對他們和許多在阿富汗服役并作出巨大犧牲的美國人有非凡的信心。今天,我將會見卡梅倫(Cameron)首相,他參與我們在阿富汗的廣泛聯盟。我們將有機會商討未來推進的途徑,與此同時我們正為今年春季晚些時候在芝加哥(Chicago)舉行的北約首峰會(NATO summit)作準備。So make no mistake, we have a strategy that will allow us to responsibly wind down this war.We're steadily transitioning to the Afghans who are moving into the lead, and that's going to allow us to bring our troops home.Already we're scheduled to remove 23,000 troops by the end of this summer, followed by--following the 10,000 that we withdrew last year.And meanwhile, we will continue the work of devastating al Qaeda's leadership and denying them a safe haven.毫無疑問,我們采取的戰略可以讓我們以負責任的方式結束這場戰爭。我們正在穩步朝阿富汗人主導的方向過渡,這將讓我們撤回我國軍隊。我們預定今年夏季結束前撤回23,000名軍人,此后——此前,我們已在去年撤回10,000人。同時,我們將繼續追剿―基地‖(al Qaeda)組織的頭目,使他們沒有藏身之地。
There's no question that we face a difficult challenge in Afghanistan, but I am confident that we can continue the work of meeting our objectives, protecting our country and responsibly bringing this war to a close.毫無疑問,我們在阿富汗面臨艱巨的挑戰,但我堅信我們能夠繼續努力完成我們的目標,保衛我們的國家和負責任地結束這場戰爭。
Now, one of the things that I talked about during the State of the Union address was making America more competitive in the global economy.The good news is that we have the best workers and the best businesses in the world.They turn out the best products.And when the playing field is level, they'll always be able to compete and succeed against every other country on Earth.我在發表國情咨文(State of the Union)時談到的問題之一是增強美國在全球經濟中的競爭力。值得高興的是,我們有全世界最優秀的工人和最好的企業。他們能生產最優質的產品。如果競賽環境是公平的,他們將始終有能力與地球上任何國家進行競爭并獲得成功。第二部分:奧巴馬宣布聯合日本、歐洲盟友向WTO起訴中國稀土出口限制
But the key is to make sure that the playing field is level.And frankly, sometimes it's not.I will always try to work our differences through with other countries.We prefer dialogue.That's especially true when it comes to key trading partners like China.We've got a constructive economic relationship with China, and whenever possible, we are committed to working with them to addressing our concerns.But when it is necessary, I will take action if our workers and our businesses are being subjected to unfair practices.但關鍵是要保證競爭環境的公平。坦率地說,有時并非如此。我將始終為解決與其他國家的分歧而努力。我們希望進行對話,在涉及中國等主要貿易伙伴的時候尤其如此。我們已經與中國發展了建設性的經濟關系,只要有可能,我們都致力于與他們協商解決我們關心的問題。但是,在必要的情況下,如果我們的工人和我們的企業受到不公平待遇,我將采取行動。Since I took office, we've brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration, and these actions are making a difference.For example, we halted an unfair surge in Chinese tires, which has helped put over 1,000 American workers back on the job.But we haven't stopped there.自我任職總統以來,本屆政府針對中國提出貿易申訴案的數量是上一屆政府的近兩倍,而且這些行動正在發揮作用。例如,我們制止了中國輪胎以不公平的方式大量涌入,有助于我們讓1,000多名美國工人重返工作崗位。但我們沒有就此止步。
Two weeks ago, I created a Trade Enforcement Unit to aggressively investigate any unfair trade practices taking place anywhere in the world.And as they ramp up their efforts, our competitors should be on notice: You will not get away with skirting the rules.When we can, we will rally support from our allies.And when it makes sense to act on our own, we will.兩個星期前,我創建了貿易執法單位(Trade Enforcement Unit),積極調查全世界任何地方出現的不公平貿易行為。在他們加緊努力工作之際,我們的競爭對手應該認識到:他們將不能再繞過貿易規則而不受追究。在可能的情況下,我們將爭取我們盟國的支持;如果有需要,我們也將自行采取行動。
I just signed a bill to help American companies that are facing unfair foreign competition.These companies employ tens of thousands of Americans in nearly 40 states.Because of subsidies from foreign governments, some of their foreign competitors are selling products at an artificially low price.That needs to stop.我剛簽署了一個法案,幫助面臨外國不公平競爭的美國公司。這些公司在近40個州雇用了成千上萬的美國人。一些外國競爭對手因獲得外國政府的補貼,正以人為的低價出售產品。這種情況 必須加以制止。
This morning, we're taking an additional step forward.We're bringing a new trade case against China--and we're being joined by Japan and some of our European allies.This case involves something called rare earth materials, which are used by American manufacturers to make high-tech products like advanced batteries that power everything from hybrid cars to cell phones.今天早上,我們又采取了進一步措施。我們針對中國提出了新的貿易申訴案。日本和我們的一些歐洲盟國也參加了這次申訴行動。這次提出的申訴案涉及被稱為稀土的材料。美國制造業者使用這種材料制造高科技產品,例如為混合動力汽車和手機等各類產品提供能源的先進電池等。We want our companies building those products right here in America.But to do that, American manufacturers need to have access to rare earth materials--which China supplies.Now, if China would simply let the market work on its own, we'd have no objections.But their policies currently are preventing that from happening.And they go against the very rules that China agreed to follow.我們希望我們的公司在美國本地制造這些產品,但為此美國制造業者必須獲得稀土材料—中國供應這類材料。如果中國完全讓市場自行運作,我們毫不反對。但中國目前的政策不允許這樣做,與中國已經同意遵守的規則背道而馳。
Being able to manufacture advanced batteries and hybrid cars in America is too important for us to stand by and do nothing.We've got to take control of our energy future, and we can't let that energy industry take root in some other country because they were allowed to break the rules.So our administration will bring this case against China today, and we will keep working every single day to give American workers and American businesses a fair shot in the global economy.能夠在美國制造先進電池和混合動力汽車等產品對我們極為重要,我們絕不能坐視不顧,也不能無所作為。我們必須掌握我國能源的未來。我們不能讓這類能源工業受制于某些國家,只因為他們可以違反貿易規則。因此,今天本屆政府將針對中國提出這項申訴案,我們將為美國工人和美國企業在全球經濟中獲得公平的機會日復一日努力工作。
We're going to make sure that this isn't a country that's just known for what we consume.America needs to get back to doing what it's always done best--a country that builds and sells products all over the world that are stamped with the proud words: “Made in America.” That's how we create good, middle-class jobs at home, and that's how we're going to create an economy that's built to last.我們將切實做到,美國不僅僅是一個以產品消費著稱的國家。美國必須返本還源,從事我們歷來表現最優異的工作 –– 作為制造產品并向全世界出售產品的國家,讓這些產品印上值得自豪的標記:―Made in America‖(美國制造)。這正是我們在國內為中產階級創造良好就業崗位的途徑,也是我國經濟常盛不衰的途徑。Thank you very much, everybody.