Bush Faces Political Dilemma Over Move to Fund Stem Cell Research
By Steve Ivey, Chicago Tribune
Oct. 21–WASHINGTON — Long-disputed legislation to fund additional embryonic stem cell research could be revived in coming months, presenting President Bush with another political headache as he confronts a series of crises.
Bush has promised to use the first veto of his presidency to prevent any such bill from becoming law. But stem cell research, with its potential promise for finding cures for debilitating diseases, has broad public support, despite opposition from many evangelical Christians. And Bush is already suffering the lowest approval ratings of his presidency.
Renewed attention to the stem cell issue could shore up Bush’s support among conservatives upset by his nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. But it could remind centrist voters that Bush, whose approval ratings are below 40 percent, is at odds with them on a key issue, analysts say.
“Voters see great promise in breakthrough research into cures of major diseases,” said Darrell West, a political science professor at Brown University. “If he vetoes, he is running the risk of alienating a big portion of the electorate. It makes him look out of touch.”
The lack of compromise between Bush and stem cell research supporters reflects the divisive nature of the issue, said Stephen Hess, a political science professor at George Washington University.
“By never having used a veto, either everything has gone his way–which is never true in this world–or he’s been able to reach an agreement,” Hess said. “When politics gets into this range of right and wrong, religion and morality, it is increasingly difficult to compromise.”
Supporters say the process of cultivating embryonic stem cells into various kinds of adult cells has the potential to cure some cancers, diabetes and Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. But opponents say the use of embryos in this way is immoral, and they insist that promising alternatives exist.
In one of the first high-profile moves of his presidency, Bush in August 2001 announced a compromise policy of funding existing stem cell lines but not new ones. In the intervening four years, scientists have increasingly concluded that those existing lines are insufficient, and support has grown for revisiting the policy.
The Senate, which was planning to vote on a bill to relax the funding restrictions when Hurricane Katrina hit, is again looking at the bill. The House–with 50 Republicans joining in–passed its version in May.
“We’re going to have a vote on this one day soon,” said Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), who co-sponsored the bill.
A spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said a vote, which was expected this year, may be pushed to early next year. But others say it could happen earlier.
“We have no reason to believe it won’t be this year,” said Allison Dobson, spokeswoman for bill co-sponsor Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). “It would take no time to do. We’ve had plenty of debate on this. We’ve had hearing after hearing.”
The legislation would allow federal funding to be used to study embryos left over from in-vitro fertilization, which, supporters say, would be discarded anyway.
While Bush has vowed to veto any legislation that would fund the destruction of human embryos that have the potential for life, research supporters say the Senate bill could probably get the 67 votes necessary to override a veto. The required two-thirds majority is less likely in the House, however, where the bill passed 238-194.
A poll released last week by the non-partisan Genetics and Public Policy Center at Johns Hopkins University showed wide support for increased federal funding for research.
Overall, 67 percent of those surveyed said they either approved or strongly approved of embryonic stem cell research, including 55 percent of Republicans, 75 percent of Democrats and 66 percent of independents.
A majority expressed support for the research in every demographic category except one: fundamentalist and evangelical Christians. But even that group was split, with 50 percent approving or strongly approving and 48 percent disapproving or strongly disapproving.
The poll also showed that 60 percent saw no moral difference between creating embryos specifically for research and using embryos remaining after in-vitro fertilization.
Opponents of stem cell research have proposed alternative legislation, including bills to ban human cloning but protect stem cell research and bills to fund research into adult or umbilical cord blood stem cells without harming human embryos.
“The vast majority is good legislation that’s needed,” said Carrie Gordon Earll, bioethics analyst for Focus on the Family, a conservative group. “But biotechnologists are operating without policy guidance in this country. We’re adamantly opposed to the House-passed bill.”
At a Senate subcommittee hearing this week chaired by Specter, scientists said embryonic stem cell research holds the most promise, but agreed that research should move forward on all fronts.
“Opponents of human embryonic stem cell research often articulate their position as a contest between adult and embryonic stem cell research,” said Steven Teitelbaum, a professor at Washington University’s School of Medicine. “It is a contest between us as a society and disease. . . . The tool is not important. What counts is curing our neighbors.”
After Frist broke with the president on the issue in July to support the expanded funding, he offered to have debate and a vote on an array of bills, but those on both sides rejected that option, each fearing it would cost votes.
Lobbyists for embryonic stem cell research hope a compromise acceptable to Bush is still possible.
“We have to take [Bush's veto threat] for what it is,” said Larry Soler, vice president for government relations at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. “Hopefully a bill could be put together that expands the policy but doesn’t violate the president’s ethical boundaries. But we’re not moving as quickly as we could.”
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