WASHINGTON — Legislation that would bolster embryonic stem-cell research shouldn’t be used as a political pawn in November’s election, the Republican sponsor of the bill said Thursday.
Rep. Mike Castle of Delaware, who is teaming with Rep. Diana DeGette on new stem-cell legislation, said he’d oppose a new vote simply to challenge President Bush. He told DeGette that Thursday during a break in a hearing on the research.
“I pointed out to Diana on the (House) floor that I hope we wouldn’t do this for political reasons,” Castle said. “We need to keep taking positive steps and not steps that have a political result.”
DeGette, a Denver Democrat who along with Castle crafted stem-cell legislation that Bush has twice vetoed, on Thursday called federal funding of the research “a positive wedge issue.”
In November’s election, DeGette said, “I would hope that we pick up, No. 1, a pro-stem-cell president. And, No. 2, that we would win enough seats in Congress to pass this through.”
Despite gaining congressional supporters in the 2006 election, DeGette still lacks a veto-proof majority for her bill.
She and Castle are working on a rewrite of the legislation. It would lift limits Bush has placed on embryonic stem-cell research, direct the National Institutes of Health to kick-start research, and set up ethical oversight. The bill hasn’t been finished.
Earlier this week, DeGette said she didn’t expect to seek a vote on the bill, offering it instead to measure colleagues’ support.
But Thursday she said a vote is a possibility.
“Just the other day someone told me — and it was a more conservative Democrat — ‘You should really have another vote on this; I think you would pick up a lot of votes. I already know one person who voted no last time who would vote yes,’ ” DeGette said.
The bill that Bush has twice vetoed would have toppled his order restricting federal funding of embryonic stem-cell lines to those created on or before Aug. 9, 2001. The bill would expand allowable funding to research on lines using embryos left over from in vitro fertilization. Those embryos are slated for disposal and donated by the owners.
DeGette and supporters argue the research is needed because it could lead to treatments for devastating diseases. Opponents object to taxpayer funding for research that destroys embryos. They argue that adult stem-cell research advances make using embryos irrelevant.
Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton both would revoke Bush’s research restrictions. Presumptive GOP nominee John McCain twice voted for the DeGette-Castle bill.
At Thursday’s hearing, DeGette focused on the lack of ethical oversight on all stem-cell science and on the limits of adult stem-cell research.
Anne C. Mulkern: 202-662-8907 or amulkern@denverpost.com
