The Democrat-led Congress passed legislation today to permit the expansion of federally funded research on human embryonic stem cells, but it’s unlikely to survive President Bush’s promised veto.
The House passed the bill 247-176, with 37 Republicans joining 210 Democrats in voting yes. Mr. Bush vetoed essentially the same measure last year, and the tally is about 35 votes shy of a two-thirds majority needed to override him.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, said Mr. Bush should sign the legislation, which has cleared both chambers and provides the potential to “save lives, find cures and give hope to those suffering.”
“The real question is, will the president heed the will of the American people, as expressed by bipartisan majorities in both houses of Congress, and sign this bill?” said House Majority Leader Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, Maryland Democrat. “Or will the president continue to undermine the will of the American people?”
The legislation would allow federal funding of research on leftover embryos from in vitro fertilization clinics, which prompted Mr. Bush’s first-ever veto last year.
“This bill puts scientific research and ethical principle into conflict rather than supporting a balanced approach that advances scientific and medical frontiers without violating moral principles,” Mr. Bush said in Germany, where he is attending the Group of Eight meeting.
Critics of the measure say human embryos should not be destroyed for medical research and that government should put its focus on more promising research involving adult stem cells and blood taken from babies’ umbilical cords.
They add that the proposed legislation would divert funding away from current stem-cell research programs.
“I applaud those who voted against this bill and trust that the president will veto it once again,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian think thank and lobbying organization. “We need to put patients over politics.”
Mr. Bush’s 2001 stem-cell policy allows federal funding to go to a limited number of embryonic stem-cell lines that existed at that time. It does not bar private research on embryos that would be discarded by clinics.
The stem-cell issue has split the Republican Party, with Mr. Bush siding with the Catholic Church and social conservatives against the party’s moderate voices.
Proponents of expanded embryonic stem-cell research say it likely holds the key to curing any number of ailments because embryonic stem cells have the potential to develop into virtually any type of body cell.
“We have a moral obligation to provide our scientific community with the tools its needs to save lives,” Mr. Hoyer said. “This legislation does not seek, nor does it certainly intend, to destroy life — it seeks to preserve life.”
Polls have shown that more than 70 percent of Americans support public financing of embryonic stem-cell research.
The Senate in April passed the bill by a vote of 63-34 — four votes short of a two-thirds majority needed to beat the veto.
Senate Democrats say they’re only one vote shy of reaching a two-thirds majority, and have targeted Sen. John E. Sununu, New Hampshire Republican, as the most likely crossover “yes” vote.
However, because a veto override would have to clear both congressional chambers, the bill appears doomed.
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