Posted on 11/21/2009 3:53:47 PM PST by stan_sipple
A proposal to limit embryonic stem cell research at the University of Nebraska failed to win the approval of the NU Board of Regents Friday, a critical verdict that came after one regent broke ranks with his pro-life colleagues to cast the deciding vote.
Lincoln Regent Jim McClurg's about-face split the regents' vote 4-4, stalling the proposal and opening the door to expanded research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Supporters of embryonic stem cell research hailed the vote as a hallmark opportunity for NU to play a key role in lifesaving work.
The vote also helps counter a perception Nebraska isn't on the cutting edge of science, medical center Chancellor Harold Maurer said.
"People have been on hold because of this (debate)," he said. "Now we've got to say, 'Come to Nebraska.'"
Added Maurer: "I think Jim McClurg is very bold for doing that."
McClurg -- endorsed by pro-life groups during his 2006 campaign -- stressed he's still pro-life but said his views on embryonic stem cell research have evolved in recent years.
He also based his vote on LB606, a widely endorsed law passed last year that prohibits the use of state facilities for creation and destruction of embryos for research purposes.
That law was seen as a compromise between NU and pro-life groups and showed, McClurg said, that people with a range of opinions could "come together."
"I'll just keep trying to do the right thing," he said after the vote, responding to the notion some pro-life constituents will feel betrayed.
McClurg's vote was a setback for pro-life advocates, who thought they had helped assemble a pro-life majority on the board with last year's election of Tim Clare of Lincoln.
Those advocates supported the resolution, which would have limited embryonic stem cell research at NU to only those stem cell lines approved under former President George W. Bush. Pro-life activists believe embryonic stem cell research is morally wrong because harvesting the stem cells requires destroying an embryo.
Any embryonic stem cells NU medical center researchers gain access to will come from embryos left over from fertility treatments; those generally are thrown out.
Julie Schmit-Albin, executive director of Nebraska Right to Life, called McClurg's vote "unfortunate."
She said McClurg has "lost a huge base of support from the pro-life movement," and she dismissed the idea LB606 had settled the stem cell research issue for regents.
Elected officials who in the past have earned her group's endorsement but failed to vote accordingly have subsequently lost that backing, Schmit-Albin noted.
Responded McClurg: "People didn't elect me to worry about getting elected again."
Voting with McClurg after more than an hour and a half of public testimony were Chairman Kent Schroeder of Kearney and Regents Chuck Hassebrook of Lyons and Bob Whitehouse of Papillion.
Several regents echoed scientists' belief that embryonic stem cell research could lead to treatments for diseases such as Parkinson's and diabetes.
"Stopping this research would not save one life," Hassebrook said. "But stopping this research could cost us the possibility of saving millions of lives from horrific diseases."
The four pro-life regents who co-authored the proposal -- Clare, Randy Ferlic and Howard Hawks of Omaha, and Bob Phares of North Platte -- voted in favor of it.
Clare, who spearheaded the proposal, said he believes forms of research such as adult stem cell research show more promise for medical breakthroughs. The medical center should focus on those areas to be on the forefront of research, he said.
Phares said he voted with his conscience.
"My vote represents my convictions and also the strong consensus of my constituents."
NU President J.B. Milliken, Maurer and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman all had urged regents to oppose the resolution.
The administrators agreed curtailing embryonic stem cell research would have a harmful effect on recruitment and retention of top faculty, and would have risked NU's reputation as a leading research institution.
In fact, Maurer said, some damage already has been done. He said two scientists the medical center had been trying to recruit e-mailed him this week to say they wouldn't come until regents resolved the stem-cell issue.
Even though the board now has made its decision, Maurer said, those two scientists likely are "lost," given that regents didn't pass a statement affirming support for embryonic stem cell research.
Maurer said it's a challenge the medical center has faced before.
"There is a perception: 'Should I invest my career (in Nebraska) or not?' You'd think about it twice.
"These are outstanding people. They can go anywhere."
Still, with a new green light for expanded embryonic stem cell research, the medical center will work to recruit more top scientists, he said. Researchers also will begin applying for grant money once the federal National Institutes of Health decides which stem cell lines are approved for study, Maurer said.
"Our goal," he said, "is to try to find cures."
The packed regents meeting room was quiet after the board finished its vote -- hardly a reflection of the passionate testimony regents heard Friday and last month.
Testimony also has been filling regents' inboxes and voicemails; Hawks, for instance, said he'd received more than 1,300 contacts on the issue.
Friday's comments reflected heartfelt arguments from both sides.
John Lillis, a board member at Nebraskans United for Life, likened embryonic stem cell research to human experimentation conducted by Nazis and called the research a crime against humanity.
An Omaha man said it's wrong for researchers to play God, destroying one life to try to save another.
Others countered that not pursuing embryonic stem cell research would be the immoral choice.
"Everything about embryonic stem cell research is a celebration and affirmation of life," said Sanford Goodman, president of the Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures.
"Life is what this work is all about."
U of N could have been “on the cutting edge of research” but they abandoned science and went with the “feel good” but otherwise unproductive “embryonic stem cell” clownshow.
More middle of the road muddy-mindedness. Nebraska...what is right and wrong? Does anyone in the state have a moral compass? If so, please proceed to Lincoln.
if embryonic stem cells are the greatest thing since sliced bread why hasn’t Warren Buffet bought a stem cell research facility?
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