Will the bill go through this time?
R. PRASAD
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House passes bill to fund newly derived embryonic stem cell lines
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The President appears determined to veto the bill Bush claims adult stem cells are equally beneficial
THE UNITED States House of Representatives has given President George Bush one more chance to expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.
The House recently passed legislation to fund newly derived embryonic stem cells with 253 votes favouring such research as against 174. The legislation would next go to the Senate for a similar voting exercise.
The veto threat
The chances are that the Senate would pass the legislation as well. But even before it could come for voting in the Senate, Bush has spoken his mind. "If H.R.3 were presented to the President, he would veto the bill," stated the `statement of administration policy' note from the White House. H.R.3 is the `Stem cell research enhancement Act of 2007.'
One of the major planks used by the Democrats to get a majority in the House and Senate last year was their commitment to expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. But the Democrats lack a two-thirds majority in both the House as well as the Senate.
The federal funding for embryonic stem cell research is limited to cell lines derived prior to 2001 where the "... embryos have already been destroyed ... where the life and death decision has already been made," according to Bush.
The Democrats are determined to make the August 9, 2001 ban that prevents expanding federal funding to derive new stem cell lines void and undo the damage done last year by Bush who used his supreme power to veto a bill for expanding federal funding.
If the Democrats are at a disadvantage in the numbers game, a 67-page report `Advancing stem cell science without destroying human life' released this month by the White House explains why there is no reason to revisit the current policy.
Case strengthened
"The dramatic advances in stem cell research since 2001 are evidence that the President's balanced policy is working," the report states. It cites several instances to strengthen its argument that deriving stem cells from sources other than the embryo is still valid.
And it states the now too familiar argument that advances in deriving stem cells are taking place within the ethical guidelines provided by the President.
The ethical debate
"With continued support for non-destructive alternatives, new developments will continue to unfold in this field in the years to come ... while at the same time upholding human dignity and sanctity of innocent life."
Last year saw the President surrounded by children who were born from embryos that were adopted by couples while announcing the reasons for vetoing the bill (The Hindu, July 27, 2006).
This was to drive home the point that embryonic stem cell research is unethical as it destroys embryos in the process of harvesting stem cells from them.
This year may probably see the President surrounded by scientists who are working with adult stem cells and their papers published in scientific journals, during his announcement, telling why he is still against expanding federal funding.
The President has drawn great inspiration from research findings that reaffirm his conviction that there are alternative sources of stem cells capable of providing the same benefits that embryonic stem cells seem to do.
In conclusion, the report citing the several studies of using stem cells from sources other than from the embryos states that, "there is a gathering consensus among experts, thanks to technical advances, that today's heated controversies over research that harm embryos could fade in the future."
Opening up all avenues
The Democrats are, however, determined to open up all avenues, embryonic stem cell research included, to make stem cell therapy possible at the earliest.
Having improved the margin by 15 votes in the House plans are under way to make amendments to the bill to make it "more appealing for senators and difficult for the President to veto [it]," The Scientist reports.
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