www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/05/20/politics/main697013.shtml
And President Bush is wading into a political controversy over the issue stem cell research that could br ing the first veto of his presidency. The political and ethical questions surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells to find new cures for disease can be as perplexing as the science itself. The more than two-dozen renegade House Republicans, who intend to vote fo r opening stem cell research on embryos that would otherwise be discarde d, are led by Delaware Republican Mike Castle. He argues that the use of unwanted embryos should be morally acceptable, CBS News Correspondent W yatt Andrews reports, even to those opposed to abortion. "These embryos are going to be disposed of anyhow and the question is how ," Castle said. "Do you just throw it away or do you allow the improveme nt in health care for other people?" But Mr Bush condemned stem cell research advances in South Korea and sai d he worried about living in a world in which cloning was condoned. He a lso pledged to veto any legislation that loosened restrictions on using federal money to do research that involved creating life only to destroy it. "I'm very concerned about cloning," Bush told reporters in the Oval Offic e "I worry about a world in which cloning becomes acceptable." "I made it very clear to the Congress that the use of federal money, taxp ayers' money to promote science which destroys life in order to save lif e is I'm against that. The president's comments were aimed at putting the brakes on a bill gaini ng momentum on Capitol Hill. CBS News Correspon dent Gloria Borger reports that the most recent polls show that the majo rity of Republicans support federal funding for stem cell research. The breakaway Republicans have even funded an ad, which touts the medical potential of embryonic research, Andrews reports. And they have the clo ut to force a vote, now scheduled for Tuesday.
matter of conscience, not of party allegiance, reports CBS Senior Political Editor Dotty Lynch. However, White House representatives say they think they have the votes t o sustain the presidential veto. That bill would initially lift Bush's ban on using federal dollars to do research on embryonic stem cell lines developed after August 2001. The p resident's veto threat drew immediate reaction from sponsors of the bipa rtisan bill, Reps. Castle said the legislation would not allow the cloning of embryos or emb ryo destruction. Instead, it would let government-funded researchers wor k with stem cells culled from embryos left over from fertility treatment s "The bottom line is when a couple has decided to discard their excess emb ryos, they are either going to be discarded as medical waste or they can be donated for research," Castle said. "It's disappointing that the president would thre aten to use his first veto on a bill that holds promise for cures to dis eases that affect millions of Americans," DeGette said. "Support for exp anding federal stem cell research in an ethical manner remains strong in Congress." The other big issue on Capitol Hill is coming to a head Tuesday, as a sen ator says he'll call for a judicial vote and prompt the filibuster showd own that's been eating up headlines for weeks. Politics is competitive, and not only is the filibuster showdown contenti ous on the Hill, but pressure to match up internationally is rising, rep orts Andrews. This weeks astonishing breakthrough in Korea, where resear chers virtually perfected techniques for taking stem cells from human cl ones, adds to the pressure. And to research scientists, this discovery i n a country not debating moral issues puts America farther behind.
In the midst of heavily partisan judicial battles, a scientific resea rch issue is dividing the Republican party. Gloria Borger has the lowdow n on the stem cell research rift.
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