NeuroTalk Support Groups - Democrats' Stem-Cell Measure Passes, Isn't Veto-Proof (Update1)

Democrats' Stem-Cell Measure Passes, Isn't Veto-Proof (Update1)

By William Roberts

Jan. 11 (Bloomberg) -

- The House of Representatives fell short of a veto-proof margin in approving legislation today to lift President George W. Bush's 2001 ban on federal funding for new embryonic stem-cell research.

Lawmakers voted 253 to 174 to expand federal funding for stem-cell research using discarded human embryos.

Democrats who pushed the measure expected to win broad bipartisan support for the measure, though not more than the 290 votes needed to override a presidential veto. House approval of the measure sends the bill to the Senate, where backers say they hope to make it more palatable to Republicans.

``Embryonic stem-cell research has shown the most promise today for potential cures,'' Colorado Democrat Representative Diana DeGette said during House floor debate on the measure today.

``This bill will become law. And we will not tire in our efforts until it does for the millions of Americans who suffer from diseases,'' DeGette said.

Bush imposed a ban in 2001 on federal funding of research using newly created embryonic stem cells, while grandfathering research on pre-existing embryonic stem cells, most of which are no longer viable for research. The measure is the fourth of seven items that Democrats pledged to push through the House during the first 100 hours of the new Congress. The White House today issued a veto threat of the measure, H.R. 3.

``The administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 3, which would use federal taxpayer dollars to support and encourage the destruction of human life for research,'' the White House's Office of Budget and Management said in a statement of policy. ``If H.R. 3 were presented to the president, he would veto the bill.''

Bush vetoed the same measure last year in the first and only veto of his presidency.

Search for Cures

``It's likely to pass the Senate in the next couple of months and be vetoed by the president,'' said Representative John Boehner, House Republican minority leader. ``I do not believe that the votes are in the House or in the Senate to override the president's veto.''

Advocates of stem-cell research say using cells taken from human embryos may lead to cures for diseases such as Alzheimer'sdisease, Parkinson's, juvenile diabetes and Lou Gehrig's disease as well as spinal cord injuries and other ailments.

In August 2001, Bush issued an executive order limiting federal research to 71 stem-cell lines previously derived from fertilized human eggs, saying that creating new ones would involve the destruction of human embryos.

The number of stem-cell lines that can still be replicated for research has dwindled to 22, and most of those are contaminated, the administration said in a report last year. The House legislation was sponsored by DeGette and Representative Mike Castle, a Delaware Republican. It passed the Republican- controlled House in 2005 by a 238-194 margin with 50 Republicans joining Democrats.

Cells Mutate

Opponents said research using embryonic stem cells has yet to produce a viable therapy for humans, in part because the cells tend to mutate as they grow. Alternatives using adult stem-cells are proving more practical, they said.

``We're being forced to vote this week on the promotion of outdated stem-cell science that destroys human embryos,'' said Representative Joe Pitts, a Pennsylvania Republican.

``Proponents of this legislation don't just want to be able to do embryonic stem-cell research,'' said Representative Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican. ``They want me to pay for it and, like 43 percent of Americans who believe that life begins at conception, I've got a problem with that.''

``All of these attempts to find a substitute are specious,'' said Tom Okarma, chief executive officer of Geron Corp., a biotech company based in Menlo Park, California. Embryonic stem cells are the ``earliest possible source of self- renewing cells that can form all cells in the body.''

Other Countries

Under Bush's policy, researchers and companies in other countries are overtaking their U.S. counterparts and ``we're wasting money on adult stem-cell research,'' Okarma said. DeGette said she hopes Bush will negotiate on the issue. If not, she'll try to attach the measure to a must-pass spending bill.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who calls the House measure a ``high priority,'' has made no commitment about when he'll bring it to the Senate floor, said his spokesman Jim Manley.

Senate legislation was introduced by Senator Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, and Senator Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican. It is likely to be taken up by the Senate Health Education and Labor Committee, where it may be rewritten to try to draw support from Republican and Democratic opponents and make it tougher for Bush to veto.

Amendments Likely

``There will probably be amendments offered to that in the Senate,'' said Senator Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican who opposes federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research.

Kyl said he had received no signal from the White House that the president would compromise with the Democrats.

``If it is the same thing we voted on before, the result will be virtually the same,'' Kyl said.

Sean Tipton, president of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, a group of research and patient organizations, said that new funding wouldn't result in immediate breakthroughs.

``If the president signs this bill, is stem-cell research going to cure diabetes the next day? The answer is no,'' he said. ``But we know that every day the current federal policy remains is another day's delay in finding the answers.''

To contact the reporter on this story: William Roberts in Washington at wroberts@bloomberg.net .

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