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[donald]

The House voted Thursday to lift President Bush's ban on federally funded research involving embryonic stem cells, but fell far short of the 290 votes it would need to override a promised veto. The vote was 253-174, only 15 more votes than the measure got last year and 37 fewer than the two-thirds majority needed for a veto override.

The White House immediately announced that Bush, who made an identical bill last year the subject of his only presidential veto, views it as an effort to "use federal taxpayer dollars to support and encourage the destruction of human life."
Phil Gingrey, Dave Weldon, Mike Pence

The statement contained the underlined sentence: "If H.R. 3 were presented to the president, he would veto the bill."

The House bill, and an identical Senate measure, would permit federally financed research on embryonic stem cells left over from in-vitro fertilization procedures and slated for destruction.

The donors of the cells would have to specifically authorize their use in research.

Although other types of stem cells are being used in research and some therapies, many scientists say that embryonic stem cells hold the greatest promise for finding cures for many diseases, including cancer, Parkinson's disease, diabetes and treatments for paralyzing nerve injuries.

Embryonic cells have the potential to become any of the more than 220 types of cells in the human body.

Shortly after taking office in 2001, Bush restricted federal embryonic stem cell research to about 20 lines of cells that already were being used for that purpose.

Those existing lines have been found unsuitable, scientists say, because they are contaminated with material from animal tissues in which they are grown. Many scientists want to begin research on hundreds of other lines that have been gathered from fertility clinics.

Such research is permissible if funded privately, but the bills before Congress would allow a much broader effort.

The House bill, sponsored by Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., and Mike Castle, R-Del., came up for a floor vote without committee action as part of the "first 100 hours" agenda of House Democrats.

During less than four hours of debate, opponents and supporters took turns praising and condemning use of federal funds for research on several thousand frozen and unused embryos being kept in fertilization clinics.

Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., a obstetrician-gynecologist, said the use of frozen embryos slated for destruction for research would be like taking "organs from death row prisoners because they are going to die anyway."

"I know we don't have to sacrifice human life in order to research ways to save it," said Gingrey, who has introduced another bill to encourage research on stem cells found in the amniotic fluid that surrounds a developing fetus.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, said that "scientists call them stem cells, but they are really cells of hope."

California has set up a state program to fund stem cell research and several other states are considering similar moves.

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, who broke with Republican leaders and supported the bill last year, said he was in favor of it because "I am pro-life."

He noted that his two stem-cell votes last year - to pass the bill and in the failed effort to override the president's veto - were the only votes he has made in over 20 years in Congress that were counted as "bad votes" by anti-abortion organizations.

"The choice is pro-research or pro-medical waste," Barton said, noting that the cells will be destroyed if not used by scientists.


http://www.curespina...-stem-cell-vote

[Acarson]

This really is terrible news. Representative Phil Gingrey's brother works as a volunteer in the Shepherd Center in Atlanta where I did my rehab-I would have hoped Jim's compassion would have rubbed off on his brother. President Bush has left many of his former supporters wondering if he has lost touch with reality. I don't think he has ever had to deal with the tragedy of a badly damaged loved one.

[donald]

maybe after 2009 elections....but this means 2 more years for waitings and delays

private founds are good also but are too few....

Edited by donald, 26 January 2007 - 07:36 AM.