Posted on 06/20/2007 1:23:41 AM PDT by neverdem
WASHINGTON, June 19 — President Bush will issue an executive order intended to encourage scientific advances in regenerative medicine, according to senior White House officials who said Mr. Bush would announce the initiative on Wednesday, just as he vetoes a measure promoting embryonic stem cell research.
The embryonic stem cell measure has widespread public support, and the veto would be the second time Mr. Bush has rejected it. By pairing the veto with a new scientific initiative, the White House clearly hopes to blunt the inevitable criticism that Mr. Bush will face from researchers, advocates for patients and politicians, including many in his own party.
In interviews on Tuesday, two senior administration officials said Mr. Bush would direct his health and human services secretary to promote research into producing cells with properties akin to those of human embryonic stem cells, without destroying embryos in the process. Mr. Bush has said embryo destruction is a moral line that he will not cross.
The officials said Mr. Bush wanted the National Institutes of Health to capitalize on recent scientific advances, including a study published this month involving skin cells in mice, that had the potential to sidestep the ethical controversies surrounding embryonic stem cell experiments. The White House has been consulting with scientists in recent weeks on the plan, they said.
“This is the product of a lot of really hard, earnest work on this policy,” said Karl Zinsmeister, a domestic policy adviser to Mr. Bush who helped develop the initiative. “It is a real sincere effort to open up a new scientific solution...”
--snip--
“It is not an alternative for embryonic stem cell research, because some of these alternative procedures still have ethical issues associated with them,” Dr. Gearhart said, adding, “Who is the god that says the embryo is dead?”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Declaring folks dead is simple enough on the basis of simple physical findings. Declaring embryonic stem cells clinically dead is a different kettle of fish. The administration has a talent for painting itself into a corner, IMHO.
SC Ping
You're kidding me right? Sheryl GAY Stolberg?
In this homo day and age?
She still feels compelled to use her full middle name, not an initial? Or even change her middle name?
p.s.
I didn't read the article or even the post, whatever she has to say, it's not worth wasting time on. Tell her she can blame the sexual deviant activists, not me.
George who?
It’s gotten to the point where I assume Jorge is wrong about everything.
Why doesn’t he just fund adult stem cells instead? That would put the emphasis on adult stem cells having hte most promise, and they wouldn’t be able to say he refuses to fund stem cell research.
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