LifeNet

Statement of Bishops' representative on Bush embryonic stem cell funding veto

Richard M. Doerflinger is Deputy Director for Pro-life activities of U.S. Bishops conference. Here is his statement made Wednesday (July 19th) at the White House after the presidential veto of the bill which would have forced U.S. taxpayers to finance the destruction of human embryos for their stem cells.

* * *
We commend President Bush today for his remarks and actions regarding proposed legislation on stem cell research.

In a major address in the East Room of the White House, the president insisted that progress in treating devastating diseases must be pursued in ways that are both effective and morally sound.

Illustrating his theme was the presence in the East Room of children who were adopted when they were "spare" frozen embryos, and of patients who are grateful for the treatments they received for brain damage, leukemia and other conditions using adult and umbilical cord blood stem cells. Their support for the president's approach dramatized the need to uphold all human lives equally, not destroy some in the quest to help others.

Prior to his speech, the president vetoed H.R. 810, which would have forced U.S. taxpayers to encourage the destruction of human embryos for their stem cells. He also signed into law S. 3504, a bill unanimously approved by both chambers of Congress to prevent the grotesque practice of "farming" unborn children in human or animal wombs in order to harvest their tissue for research.

A third bill, to fund ways to obtain cells with the properties of embryonic stem cells without creating or harming human embryos (S. 2754), was unfortunately not before the president today, because it failed to receive the two-thirds support needed for expedited approval in the House despite receiving unanimous Senate approval. However, we are grateful that the president said he will use his executive authority to ensure that this promising avenue of research is funded.

We join the president in inviting Congress and the scientific community to work together on this issue for the good of all. As he said in his address, ethics and science must not be placed at odds, but work together to serve the cause of humanity.

Senate approves Embryonic stem cell research funding; Bush will veto

Senate Approves Embryonic Stem Cell Research Funding Bill, Bush to Veto
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Senate approved legislation Tuesday that would overturn President Bush's limits on using taxpayer funds to pay for embryonic stem cell research. The 63-37 vote for the bill was four votes short of having the two-thirds vote necessary to override an expected presidential veto. Leading up to the vote, senators continued the second day of an hours-long debate on the pros and cons of both embryonic and adult stem cell research. Some lawmakers said embryonic stem cell research, which has yet to cure a single patient, was wrong and shouldn't be funded with federal dollars because it involves the destruction of human life. President Bush's intent on what to do with the bill is clear. Because embryonic stem cell research involves the destruction of days-old unborn children, he plans to veto the bill. White House spokesman Tony Snow, responding to a reporter's question at a press conference today, said, "The president believes strongly that for the purpose of research it's inappropriate for the federal government to finance something that many people consider murder. He's one of them." Once Bush vetoes the bill, both the House and Senate are expected to hold votes to override it. The House was more than 50 votes away from a two-thirds vote when it signed off on the embryonic stem cell research funding bill in May 2005, and the Senate four votes down. ACTION: Contact President Bush and encourage him to veto HR 810, the measure that uses federal taxpayer dollars to pay for embryonic stem cell research. You can contact information at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact.

Go here to see how individual senators voted - Senate Vote Tally on Embryonic Stem Cell Research Funding Bill

AOL News - Senate Approves Embryonic Stem Cell Bill

Senate Backs Measure to Find Embryonic Stem Cell Research Alternatives

House Defeats Embryonic Stem Cell Research Alternative, Backs Fetal Farming Ban