BOSTON, March 2, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Harvard University will raise $100 million for a new research facility to focus on research using stem cells derived from embryonic humans. In a deliberate attempt to supercede US President Bush’s restriction on the use of public funding to create new sources of embryonic stem cells, the University has announced that it will be creating the largest facility of its kind in the US. This move is being seen as a direct challenge to the Bush administration’s efforts to stem the unethical use of embryonic human beings for research.
Harvard University has enough political clout to cause a great deal of embarrassment for the Bush administration as it moves into an election. “Harvard has the resources, Harvard has the breadth, and, frankly, Harvard has the responsibility to be taking up the slack that the government is leaving,” said Dr. George Q. Daley, associate professor at Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital in Boston. Said Dr. Leonard Zon, a researcher at Children’s Hospital and president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, “Every success will change the argument. The American people will not stand for scientists not being able to work on their diseases.” Boston.com news coverage: https://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/02/29/stem_cell_center_eyed_at_harvard/