Millions of people suffering from Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and other ailments have waited for Congress to approve a sensible bill that could lead to cures. Months (and months) after the House passed a bill that would allow federal funding for possibly life-saving embryonic stem-cell research, the Senate will finally have its say.
We hope the Senate concurs and passes the bill to President Bush for his signature.
Bush has never wielded a veto pen in more than five years in office. Now is certainly not the time to start, but he has threatened to do just that.
Denver Congresswoman Diana DeGette, along with a bipartisan cadre of supporters that includes conservative GOP Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bill Frist, has carefully crafted the bill to answer concerns most Americans have about such research.
The bill would allow federal spending for research only on embryos left over from fertility treatments and that would otherwise be thrown away. The patients who had sought fertility treatment also would need to give their permission.
Many scientists believe that stem cells, which can develop into any type of tissue in the body, will one day be useful in treating numerous diseases, as well as some cancers and spinal cord injuries.
The bill would supercede Bush’s executive order of Aug. 9, 2001, which limited federal research funding to the 60 embryonic stem-cell lines already in existence on that date. Scientists disagree about how many of those lines are left and whether any are viable. Even Frist, a heart-lung transplant surgeon, concluded that leaving those restrictions in place would interfere with medical progress.
Scientists have high hopes for stem cells but need money and access to make the necessary research advances.
“Stem-cell therapies will be able to address almost every disease that we know of,” said John Sladek, vice chancellor for research at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
But not if research is undermined by a short-sighted president.
DeGette, not wanting her legislation to bring Bush’s first veto, has asked for a face- to-face meeting with the president to allay his concerns.
Bush has said he opposes spending federal money “to promote science which destroys life in order to save life.” There is plenty of bipartisan support for this important bill, and the president should reflect on the fact these embryos would otherwise be disposed of. This bill is about saving lives, not ending them.
