From: hal@finney.org
Date: Sun Jun 24 2001 - 22:07:44 MDT
CNN reports about Republican support for at least limited forms of
stem cell research at
http://www.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/06/24/stem.cells.ap/index.html.
This is a good sign as the Republicans are the ones most sympathetic
towards religious attitudes about such issues. Reading all the laudatory
statements below about stem cell research makes it obvious that they
are moving as far as they can, politically, towards support. It is
really amazing that these are Republicans speaking.
Hal
The Senate's top Republican, Trent Lott, said Sunday that he sees
"great potential" for controversial research that uses stem cells
from human embryos.
...
Lott stopped short of endorsing federal funding, declining to state
his position. But he said he told Bush that "this is an important
issue that has potentially significant health benefits."
"There are some delicate questions here, but the benefits are
substantial, as we understand it, and they should be carefully
considered," Lott, R-Miss., said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the
Press." "Obviously, there is some great potential there."
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson -- another
anti-abortion Republican who has voiced support for the research _
has promised a decision by mid-July.
...federal law bans the use of tax dollars on any research that
destroys embryos. The Clinton administration got around that by ruling
it's OK to use the stem cells in federally funded research, as long
as private dollars paid for them to be extracted from the embryos.
It's now up to the Bush administration whether to maintain that
interpretation or change the policy.
Several high-profile Republicans are urging Bush to allow the research
to move forward.
"I think it is probably something that is good for America, good for
medical research, and could save lives," Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona.,
said Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition."
Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine each
wrote Bush in recent days supporting funding for the research. Other
GOP supporters include Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina and
Gordon Smith of Oregon and former Sen. Connie Mack of Florida.
"I have rarely, if ever, observed such genuine excitement for the
prospects of future progress than is presented by embryonic stem cell
research," Hatch wrote in a letter to Bush.
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