http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060719...L2VVdgA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl Bush vetoes stem cell bill as promised By MARY DALRYMPLE, Associated Press Writer 2 minutes ago WASHINGTON - President Bush cast the first veto of his 5 1/2-year presidency Wednesday, saying legislation easing limits on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research "crosses a moral boundary" and is wrong. "This bill would support the taking of innocent human life of the hope of finding medical benefits for others," Bush said at a White House event where he was surrounded by 18 families who "adopted" frozen embryos not used by other couples, and then used those leftover embryos to have children. "Each of these children was still adopted while still an embryo and has been blessed with a chance to grow, to grow up in a loving family. These boys and girls are not spare parts," he said. The veto came a day after the Senate defied Bush and approved the legislation, 63-37, four votes short of the two-thirds margin needed to override. White House officials and Republican congressional leaders claimed it was unlikely that Congress could override the veto. Bush's support was the strongest in the House, which was expected to take up the veto as early as later Wednesday. Bush has supported federally funded research on only those stem cell lines created before Aug. 9, 2001, the date of his speech to the nation on the subject. The president vetoed the measure shortly after it came to his desk. His position was politically popular among conservative Republicans, and it was sure to be an issue in the midterm congressional elections. Announcing the veto, Bush was surrounded in the East Room by so-called "snowflake" families, those with children born through embryo donation. "They remind us of what is lost when embryos are destroyed in the name of research. The remind us that we all begin our lives as a small collection of cells. And they remind us that in our zeal for new treatments and cures, America must never abandon our fundamental morals," Bush said. He said the bill would have crossed a line and "once crossed, we would find it impossible to turn back." At the same time, Bush announced he had signed another bill, passed unanimously in the House and Senate, that would pre-emptively ban "fetal farming," the prospect of raising and aborting fetuses for scientific research. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., was quick to criticize the president's veto. "I am pro-life, but I disagree with the president's decision to veto the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act," said Frist. "Given the potential of this research and the limitations of the existing lines eligible for federally funded research, I think additional lines should be made available." Said Bush: "As science brings us every closer to unlocking the secrets of human biology, it also offers temptations to manipulate human life and violate human dignity. Our conscience in history as a nation demand that we resist this temptation. "America was founded on the principle that we are all created equal and endowed by our creator with the right to life," he added. "We can advance the cause of science while upholding this founding promise. We can harness the promise of technology without becoming slaves to technology. And we can ensure that science serves the cause of humanity, instead of the other way around."
Yea this is just asinine. I don't care what your moral position on stem cell research is, logically speaking federal funding still is the best option. First of all, the bill only funds stem cells derived from embryos that will be discarded anyway from fertility clinics. This isn't destroying human life that wouldn't otherwise be destroyed. Furthermore, privately funded research has even lower safety and ethical protocols than federally funded research. In South Korea there were reports of women being paid to commit abortions so their stem cells could be harvested. Applying ethical guidelines and federally funded research creates a race to the top as private groups would be forced to match federal ethical protocols because top scientists would now be getting a mix of private and public funding for research. And lets face it, history has shown that the greatest medical advances started from large federal grants and incentives which are the most prestigious types of grants that attract the best scientists. We have already started to face a brain drain of top scientists on the field who feel compelled to go to Europe because the climate there is more conducive to effective stem cell research. Also, for those that say that adult stem cells are the answer are missing a major point. Adult stem cells are "multipotent" meaning they are limited in terms of what cells they can transform into. ONLY embryonic stem cells are "pluripotent" meaning they can transform into any type of cell in the human body. The research potential simply isn't there with adult stem cells, although researching both types is still a good idea.
What a dumbass. I guess we'll standby and watch other countries be the leaders in stem cell research then.
Well, at least libpigs (of which I am one) can no longer deride Dubya has never in his presidency vetoed a bill sent to him by Congress. For this I say good job George!
Is there any other method by which you guys would like to profit from the murder of innocent babies? Maybe we could have all aborted fetuses ground up into delicious soylent green to feed the hungry. Or, since they are not real people, lets pay women to carry them to term and they can be used as slave labor, you know since they would have just been discarded anyway what is the big deal. If their conciousness bothers you we can induce brain death and they can just be raised in organ farms to help people that need a transplant. I don't know why you want to stop at stem cells when there is so much untapped potential from these non-people.
If the embryos are going to be destroyed anyway, why shouldn't they be used for science? Think about it....it just might save your life in the future.
Fine by me. In my experience embryos make really bad innocent babies anyway. They don't really do much and it's hard to find clothes that fit.
Yeah, it'd be a lot better than sitting around waiting for the right person to die to get a liver/heart/kidney.
IMO i dont think research on this is that bad. i get the fact that people think this is against their ethics and morals, but when it comes down to who gets the organ transplant, they'll all wish they had supported this issue instead of being against it. i read that you can get stem cells from the umbilical cord, so therefore allowing you to use your own stem cells to reproduce any living cell you need. we're missing out on this if we ban it here in the US. but then again who wants to be immortal?
SM, I really like you, but that post was such bull****. Bush is a religious extremist, an extremist in many things. How appropriate that the first veto by this little man be to prevent Federal funding for something so dear to the millions of Americans with family members dying from diseases that stem cell research might be able to cure. Keep D&D Civil.
@StupidMoniker (and other pro-lifers) What is your position on in-vitro fertilization then? Because thru this process, many embroys (at the single cell or very primitive stage at least) are created and discarded. Are you opposed then to this method of creating life (because some embryos are destroyed in the process)?
I'm with you 100%. Isn't war basically sacrificing lives with the intent of saving others? Their slogan "culture of life" is such euphamistic bullsh!t. They have serious mental issues.
I disagree with the methods by which it is practiced. It would be possible to have in vitro fertilization without creating extra embryos, it would just be less cost effective. If they tried to create and implant a single embryo every time I would feel much better about it. Care to elaborate? What is the moral difference exactly from what the bill proposes and my "suggestions"? BTW, I like you too and think you are a great poster and a real asset to our little community, you know except for your cockamamie Democat ideals . I have a crazy idea, instead of trying to figure out what to do with all of these extra embryos, why not work on legislation that would eliminate the problem at it's source, and outlaw the creation of the extra embryos. I would be okay with the government subsidizing repeat attempts at in vitro caused by taking it one embryo at a time.
Speaking as someone that has gone through in-vitro fertilization, you are talking out of your ass. It's an incredibly difficult and demanding process on a couple (especially the female obviously). Thinking that "attempting" to create one embryo each time is a viable solution is just ridiculous. For example, my wife and I are in our 20's and can't have kids naturally. I have a chromosome translocation, her tubes are completely blocked. It ain't happening. When we attempted in vitro a few years ago they tried to fertilize 15 eggs in an attempt to create a viable embryo....NOT 1 of those survived and progressed to the point of being able to transfer. Not 1 out of 15. What you're suggesting is that couples attempt to only create 1 embryo in that process and hope by magic they get incredibly lucky.
Bush is an idiot...I hate when politics get in the way of progress...ugh.... Most of these embryos would be thrown out anyway.....simply wow. PISS ON THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT !! DD
