– Maintains funding ban for research that would kill additional embryos –
WASHINGTON, Aug 10, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Last night U.S. President George W. Bush announced his long-awaited decision on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. To the chagrin of many scientists and researchers, he said that funding would not be available for most research, but to the chagrin of many pro-lifers, he said that he would allow funding for research involving stem cell lines that have already been set up.
Mr. Bush said that more than 60 genetically diverse stem cell colonies, or lines, have already been produced around the world and that continued research on these cells would be permitted. “The life and death decision has already been made” for these stem cells, he said, drawing a line between such research and work that would result in further destruction of human embryonic life. “This allows us to explore the promise and potential of stem cell research without crossing a fundamental moral line by providing taxpayer funding that would sanction or encourage further destruction of human embryos that have at least the potential for life,” he said.
Pro-life views were mixed, although most organizations are condemning the decision to open the door to even an apparently tolerable form of embryonic stem cell research.
Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza, the president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, called the president's decision “morally unacceptable,” explaining that “the federal government, for the first time in history, will support research that relies on the destruction of some defenceless human beings for the possible benefit to others. However such a decision is hedged about with qualifications, it allows our nation's research enterprise to cultivate a disrespect for human life.”
But Focus on the Family bioethics analyst Carrie Gordon Earll said, “We had hoped for him of course to say, no funding, no involvement, but we're not disappointed by this. It could have been worse. What he is talking about is using cell lines with embryos that have already been killed. We grieve the loss of those embryos, but the truth is they are gone, and we can't change that. He is not talking about destroying any more with the involvement of federal dollars.” Focus head Dr. James Dobson said: “President Bush faced tremendous political pressure to betray his pro-life commitment. He has courageously upheld his promise protect unborn children,” said Dobson. “He deserves praise from citizens who understand that it is never justified to destroy one life in order to possibly save another.” The National Right to Life Organization was even more praising of Bush's decision, giving no indication that it had hoped for more from him.
Family Research Council President Ken Connor said: “We commend President Bush for drawing a clear line against future federal funding of stem cell research that involves the killing of human embryos. The President re-affirmed the fundamental moral principle that life is the sacred gift of the Creator and deserves protection at its very beginning. … Even so, the President's decision to allow taxpayer funded research to proceed on 60 existing stem cell lines is troubling. … Courts have long held that to allow government to benefit from a wrongful act provides an unhealthy incentive to persist in such acts.” Judie Brown president of the American Life League said: “Countless millions of real human persons will lose their lives as a direct consequence of President Bush's decision to authorize federal funding for stem cell research. … Basically, his decision says, 'if babies are already dead, the U.S. has no problem funding research on their body parts.'”
The Christian Medical Association, America's largest association of Christian physicians, said “President Bush's decision to allow federal funding of embryonic stem cell research crosses a crucial moral line and warned of the consequences of breaching the long-standing medical principle of 'do no harm.'” The National Right to Life Committee said: “We're delighted that President Bush's decision prevents the federal government from becoming party to any further killing of human embryos for further experimentation.” Lutherans for Life commended Mr. Bush for the federal funding ban he maintained, but are also “disappointed that he will still allow Federal funds to be used on existing cell lines.”
During his presidential campaign, Mr. Bush promised to maintain the ban already in place on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. His decision yesterday reneges on that promise, but probably not seriously enough to do him too much political damage. Having opened the door to some federal funding, however, he is likely to face ongoing pressure from researchers who would like the approval to be even broader.
FRC president Ken Connor said: “By casting such research in a positive light, he will encourage members of Congress to advocate additional research which kills additional embryos so that even more stem cell lines can be created and even more people can be helped by such killing. … The issue will no longer be whether such research ought to be permitted, but rather how many cell lines are enough.” From Canada, Campaign Life Coalition president Jim Hughes echoed the same sentiment: “We are concerned that his support for limited experimentation with the 60 lines already created will open the flood gates to full scale embryonic experimentation.” Condemnation is already coming in from political foes, scientists and advocates for the disabled who hope to benefit from embryonic stem cell research.
In view of the president's pro-life views and his campaign promise, most people probably didn't realistically expect him to approve wide-open embryonic stem cell funding. At the very least, though, there was hope that he would support research with embryos already created for in vitro procedures. Mr. Bush acknowledged that this was one of the issues at the forefront of his thinking as he wrestled with the issue. In the end, he decided against it.
The U.S. president's decision does not ban stem cell research, it simply limits taxpayer funding for such work. His announcement does not affect private research in America. Mr. Bush said he would be creating a new President's Council on Bioethics, headed by Dr. Leon Kass, a biomedical ethics expert at the University of Chicago, to monitor stem cell research. Congress has the power to override the president's decision, and is expected to start examining it, holding hearings at both the House and Senate levels.
During his address, Mr. Bush highlighted the existence and importance of adult stem cell funding. These comments gave Americans a bigger picture of the issue since much of the mainstream media seems to suppress or minimize reports about this valid ethical alternative to embryonic stem cell research.
For the transcript of George Bush's speech: https://www.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/08/09/bush.transcript/index.html
For more info, see:
https://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/8/9/230903.shtml
https://www.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/08/09/stem.cell.bush/index.html
See LifeSite's Stem Cell Resource Page:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/features/stemcellembryo/index.html