By Gudrun Schultz
WASHINGTON, D.C., United States, January 5, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Democratic leaders in the U.S. House and Senate have announced their intention of passing legislation that would authorize federal funding for stem cell research on embryonic human babies.
The House is expected to take up the measure on Thursday, Jan.11, a press release from the National Right to Life Committee stated yesterday. While the text of legislation H.R.3 is not yet available, it will be similar to that of H.R.810 from 2006, which was vetoed by President Bush in July.
While the previous House, controlled by Republicans, sustained the President’s veto, the new Congress includes more than 60 new members.
White House spokesman Tony Snow clearly stated that President Bush’s administration supports research on human embryonic stem cells, in comments to the media on Jan. 3.
”[T]he President has made it clear he believes in stem cell research so much—this administration has done more to finance stem cell research, embryonic and otherwise, than any administration in history,” Mr. Snow said, “and also does not believe that this kind of research necessitates the taking of a human life and believes in spending—believes in encouraging, through federal largesse and otherwise, investigation into promising technologies. The position hasn’t changed.”
Despite public belief that President Bush banned embryonic stem cell research, in fact the ban issued by the current administration was only on public funding of research involving the creation of new stem cell lines through the destruction of new embryos.
Private funding of such research was not prohibited, and research using existing stem cell lines was permitted to continue.
Speaking at a press conference May 31, 2005, President Bush said, “I made a decision a while ago that said there had been some existing stem cells and, therefore, it was okay to use federal funds on those because the life decision had already been made.
“But from that point going forward, I felt it was best to stand on principle…that is, taxpayers’ money for the use of experimentation that would destroy life is a position that violates a principle of mine.”
See transcript of Snow’s comments here:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070103-3.html
See previous LifeSiteNews coverage:
President George Bush Explains His Position on Stem Cell Research and Culture of Life
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jun/050603a.html
President Bush Discusses Embryo Adoption and Stem Cell Research
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/may/05052404.html