[Nopayof]

No surprise here.

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Bush vetoes bill to fund stem-cell research

Congress apparently lacks the two-thirds vote necessary to override the president’s action.

By Johanna Neuman
Times Staff Writer

12:56 PM PDT, June 20, 2007

WASHINGTON — President Bush vetoed a bill easing federal funding for embryonic stem cell research today, calling on House Democrats to send him a bill funding alternative stem cell research that does not destroy human embryos.

"If this legislation becomes law, it would compel American taxpayers -- for the first time in our history -- to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos," he said.

At an East Room ceremony attended by patients and scientists who oppose research that involves human embryos, Bush also issued an executive order directing the Health and Human Services Department to promote research into "pluripotent" stem cells that have the potential to regenerate cell types and body tissues without use of embryonic stem cells, making them prime weapons in the war against diseases.

Bush, in his second veto of stem cell research, said he would "not allow our nation to cross this moral line," adding: "Destroying human life in the hopes of saving human life is not ethical, and it is not the only option before us."

But Democratic House leaders vowed to keep passing embryonic stem cell research bills, attaching them to "must-pass" legislation and arguing that embryonic stem cell research offers the greatest hope to combat diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

"We will continue bringing this up until we have a pro-stem cell research president," said Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.). Noting that a recent Gallup Poll found that 65% of Americans support embryonic stem cell research, DeGette, a leader on the issue, added: "If the president doesn't at least sit down and talk to us about this, it will be an election issue."

In August 2001, Bush said he would allow federal funding only of existing stem cell lines, banning harvesting of new embryonic cells for research. Some scientists have argued that the previous stem cell lines were contaminated and unstable -- and that stem cells from embryos hold the most promise for combating illnesses, such as Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries and strokes.

But Snow argued that Bush's policy has actually opened the door to federal stem cell research. "The notion that we are against stem cell research is wrong," he said. "No administration has been more aggressive."

And he noted that the veto would not affect private funding of embryonic stem cell research, but that Bush "has just determined that it is morally inappropriate" for federal taxpayers who may disagree to fund it.

Asked to respond to comments by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) that Bush was putting "ideology over science," Snow said the opposite was true and added that the federal research "exists because of George W. Bush, not President Clinton."

On taking control of Congress in January, Democrats made stem cell research funding a top priority. The bill passed 238 to 194 in the House last month, short of the two-thirds vote necessary to override Bush's veto.

A number of high-profile Republicans have supported the effort. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan, during President Reagan's battle with Alzheimer's disease, urged Bush to fund the research.

And Rep. Michael N. Castle, the Delaware Republican who introduced the current bill, said it "draws a strict ethical line by only allowing federally funded research on stem cell lines that were derived ethically" from embryos no longer needed in fertility clinics.

But Democrats hoped to remind voters that a Republican president vetoed the funding.

In a statement, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said she was "profoundly disappointed" that Bush "has once again stood in the face of overwhelming public support to deny the hope of millions of Americans who are suffering from debilitating diseases" and vowed to continue enacting the legislation.

And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) sent an e-mail to Democratic supporters about the issue, soliciting contributions to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

"By vetoing a bill that expands stem cell research," she wrote, "the president will say 'no' to the more than 70% of Americans who support it 'no' to saving lives 'no' to hope."

Copyright 2007 Los Angeles Times