Bush Maintains 'Proper Balance' of Science, Morality with Stem Cell Veto
WASHINGTON – President Bush's second veto of a stem cell bill Wednesday garnered praises from Christian pro-life groups, which called the decisive act a "proper balance" between science and morality.
"President Bush has taken a principled stand that promotes science while respecting the sanctity of human life," Mathew Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, said in a statement.
"Science and morality are not enemies," he continued. "While we must find ways to cure disease and save lives, we must never devalue human life in the process…The President has always maintained the proper balance between science and morality."
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Bush vetoed a House bill that would have loosened restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, saying that he has "made it clear" to Congress and Americans that he "will not allow our nation to cross" the "moral line" of using tax dollars to support the destruction of human embryos.
Bush vetoed similar embryonic stem cell legislation last July.
Proponents of embryonic stem cell research point to the cell's pluripotent ability – or its capacity to become nearly all cell types and tissues in the body – claiming that it holds the cure for debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer, Parkinson's disease, and diabetes.
However, the controversy over embryonic stem cell research is it requires the destruction of the embryo during the extraction process. Pro-life proponents have argued the research is unethical and have pointed to other successful stem cell research that do not kill embryos as alternatives.
Bush highlighted alternatives such as stem cells from adults, umbilical cord blood, and amniotic fluid. He also spoke about new reports of scientists reprogramming adult cells – such as skin cells – to become embryonic stem cells.
"Ethical stem cell research is creating nearly-miraculous results for patients and producing stem cells with embryonic qualities without destroying embryos," Wendy Wright, Concerned Women for America president, said in a statement.
"Science is catching up to ethics, proving that human beings should not be destroyed for science or to benefit another."
The president while vetoing the stem cell bill tried to show his support for alternative stem cell research by signing an executive order that would provide federal funding for "ethically responsible" research in the field on the same day, according to AP.
House Democrats have responded to the veto by saying they will try to override it with a two-thirds vote and continue to press the issue in Congress and to the next president.
