House of Representatives Votes to Reverse Bush Ban on Stem Cell Research
New York Times writes:The House of Representatives voted today to ease restrictions on federal financing for embryonic stem cell research ... The 238-to-194 vote in favor, far short of the 290 needed to override a presidential veto, sends the issue to the Senate, where an identical measure is pending.Stem cell research has considerable support in the Senate as well. Its chief sponsor is Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, who heads the Senate subcommittee that controls federal financing for medical research ... The House's action, and the likelihood of approval in the Senate as well, sets the stage for the first veto to be cast by President Bush, who reiterated his opposition this afternoon to the current legislation.
Hours before the House vote, Mr. Bush said that despite the potential for medical breakthroughs, that the use of human embryos in the studies was too high a cost to pay.
In 2001, President Bush prohibited federal financing of research on embryonic stem cells, except work on the limited number of cell lines developed before his decision.
Representative James R. Langevin, a Rhode Island Democrat, who was paralyzed at age 16 after a gun accidentally discharged in a police station and severed his spinal cord, said he supported the embryonic stem cell legislation despite opposing abortion.
"My life as a quadriplegic is certainly filled with challenges and obstacles," he said. "It's motivated me to help create a culture that values and protects life from its beginning to its end. For me, being pro-life also means fighting for policies that will eliminate pain and suffering and help people enjoy longer, healthier lives and to me, support for embryonic stem cell research is entirely consistent with that position."
contribute a comment
Comments have been closed for this post.
comments
I'm not sure why one would be concerned with what a quadriplegic thinks. Obviously they're not a person--a person has the ability to think, to move his limbs, to reason, and to walk. I couldn't imagine living without those abilities, and a moments reflection reveals that those abilities are at the heart of what it means to be a person.
Which makes one wonder: why are we letting the quadriplegics testify, when they could be so much more useful to us? Isn't there a person out there who could use a heart? A liver? A kidney? Let's put those organs to use for real people, not these masses of cells that don't have a recognizable existence as a person.
- by Thomas on May 26, 2005 at 4:13 AM | link
I guess you are right. Balls of cells are persons, and if I don't think so, I must be prepared to turn my quadriplegic neighbor into a organ distribution unit.
I'd talk more, but there is a ball of cells I am having dinner with tonight.
- by Jimmy Jones on May 27, 2005 at 7:21 PM | link