Posted on 01/04/2009 6:04:37 PM PST by neverdem
WASHINGTON — Thwarted by President Bush in their efforts to expand federal spending on embryonic stem cell research, Democrats are now debating whether to overturn federal restrictions through executive order or by legislation when they assume full control of the government this month.
Both President-elect Barack Obama and Democratic Congressional leaders have made repealing Bush administration restrictions announced in 2001 a top priority. But they have yet to determine if Mr. Obama should quickly put his stamp on the issue by way of presidential directive, or if Congress should write a permanent policy into statute.
The debate is not academic. Democrats who oppose abortion say such a legislative fight holds the potential to get the year off to a difficult beginning, even though the outcome is certain given solid majorities in both the House and the Senate for expanded embryonic stem cell research.
“It is a very divisive issue, and it is a tough way to start,” said Senator Ben Nelson, a moderate Democrat from Nebraska. “You don’t want to stumble out of the box.”
In addition, many of the Democratic gains in Congress, particularly in the House, have come in more conservative areas, with strategists estimating that up to 70 Democrats could find themselves in competitive races in 2010. Those potentially vulnerable lawmakers provide another consideration for leaders weighing whether to set an early test vote on what for some is a politically sensitive subject back home.
At the same time, officials note that increasing federal spending on stem cell research is widely popular and has been a signature issue for Congressional Democrats in the last two elections, helping them defeat Republicans opposed to the concept. Many lawmakers would...
--snip--
“I myself would favor legislation, so it is the law,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, said this week...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Hello, President Bush was the most “liberal” president we’ve had on stem cells. Under President Clinton, no federal money went to embryonic stem cells. If companies want to research on embryonic stem cells, they can afford to pay for it. Do we need more corproate welfare at this time?
Abort the democrats, however, expect more stems and buds, then stem cells.
Democrats LOOOOOOOOOOOVVVEE dead babies.
Hello - under President Kennedy there was no federal money for stem cell research either. Bush was the first President to meet the issue head on. For all his faults his position on stem cells was not one of them. But it doesn’t matter now. Obama, Pelosi and Reid are in charge and Bush’s policy of not funding new lines will be overturned.
Bovine scatology from the liberal "media." "Wildly popular?!" Give me a break. This is about "government grants" to a bunch of freeloading "researchers" who can't get anyone else to subsidize their fun and games with embryos.
The media portrays it as if President Bush took away funding from ESCR, that is 100% false.
It's always about the graft.
They can put “embryonic” in the first sentence of the story but they can never seem to get it into the title of the article...The devil loves to confuse...
We’re broke, not to mention the ethical problems, and these fools want to throw money away on a method that’s never done squat. If they ever yield results, if they are not an exact genetic match, then you are probably looking at a lifetime of immunosuppressive drugs.
The Mars Rovers' Long and Fruitful Journeys
Law on Flu Vaccinations May Be Tested
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
Nick - All I know is Bush wouldn’t allow funding for new stem cell lines and allowed it for existing ones. If you want to trash Bush for allowing it on existing lines go ahead. But now the dems will open it wide up on new lines as well.
You think in today’s envisonment Bill Clinton would be more conservative than Bush on stem cell funding? Sorry - I am not buying that argument.
My point was not to trash President Bush- merely to set the record straight.
Ah, yes. But how much money did Mildred Fillmore put into Stem Cell Research.
Thanks for the ping!
ESCR will soon be abandoned, as they continue to find it giving misleading results.
ASCR, Adult individualized Stem Cell Research is the new standard.
They will soon be able to fix you using your own stem cells.
They need to justify the grave evils which they promote & encourage.
So, they approach the mirage of producing good fruit from a diseased tree, desperately hoping they can do it, not for the good of mankind but, rather, to placate their puny consciences.
I like your tagline. This is not just the culture of death, but enslavement, experimentation, harvesting and execution of humans in vats. When I grew up I read about this in science fiction novels. Now it will become science practice.
Yes, it is an entire, evil, world of exploitation, abuse, and torture of innocent human beings.
Yet, many people are content to shield their apathy and inaction behind a false definition of Federalism.
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