On August 9, 2001, Bush announced a new Federal policy that severely limited stem cell research in the United States. Now, a bipartisan group in Congress is working to eliminate the stifling restrictions the administration put into place. However, Bush has steadfastly refused to reconsider the issue, despite the fact that his own National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director admits that the President’s ideology is hindering scientific progress. Bush, who has yet to veto a single piece of legislation since he became President, is now threatening to veto a bill with overwhelming bipartisan support. As preparations are underway for the 2006 Congressional races, it is clear that President Bush is trying to mollify right wing conservatives who have made keeping the stem cell ban a priority.
While special-interests control the Republican Party, Americans across the country are pointing out that Bush’s stem cell policy hinders the search for medical cures. And America is loosing its technological advantage in stem cell research. The truth is a diverse set of stem cell lines is key to developing cures to diseases. The NIH director himself has admitted more cell lines would speed research. NIH director Elias A. Zerhouni noted in his testimony in front of Congress that there are inconsistencies in the right-wing position as many of the embryos that are in question would be destroyed at a certain point whether they are used for stem cell research or not.
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The Church at the Crossroads
Bush is threatening to veto bi-partisan legislation offered by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) and passed this week in the House. The bill would expand the number of embryonic stem cell lines eligible for federal research funding through the National Institutes of Health by removing the arbitrary August 9, 2001 date and impose strict ethical controls on the research. The bill moves to the Senate, where it also has bi-partisan support.
Rep. DeGette has worked on this legislation since before 2001 and was joined by Rep. Castle in the 2005 sponsorship. DeGette called this victory not only a victory for science guided by ethical controls that reflect our nation’s values but also for "the 100 million Americans who have or know someone who has a disease like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Type 1 diabetes, cancers or nerve injuries." Rep. Castle told the Wall Street Journal that the bill "draws a strict ethical line by only allowing federally funded research on stem cell lines that were derived ethically from donated embryos determined to be in excess. ... This is consistent with current federal policy set by President Bush on August 9, 2001."
The move for expansion of stem cell lines is supported by other influential Republicans, such as former First Lady Nancy Reagan. In May 2004, Nancy Reagan told a fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation that stem cell research must be pursued "to save families from the pain" of debilitating illnesses. "I don’t see how we can turn our backs on this," she said. "We have lost so much time. I just can’t bear to lose any more." [LA Times, 5/9/04]
