Pressure on Frist for vote on destructive stem cell research

By Tom Strode - Mar 15, 2006

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is receiving pressure from Democrats and some Republicans for a floor vote on legislation to fund stem cell research that destroys human embryos.

In a March 3 speech to the Senate, Minority Leader Harry Reid called for Frist to schedule debate and a vote before May 24, the first anniversary of the House of Representative’s passage of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. Reid registered his dissatisfaction with Frist’s failure to bring the bill to the Senate floor, saying the majority leader had promised a vote in July and still had not delivered.

While Reid is leading the Democrats’ effort to gain a vote, Republican Sens. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Orrin Hatch of Utah plan to resume their push for a vote. Specter is the Senate sponsor of the legislation, which has 41 cosponsors, all but five Democrats. Also, the Republican Main Street Partnership, which has eight Senate members, will sponsor television ads for the bill in states represented by senators who are uncommitted, The Hill newspaper reported.

The legislation is designed to undermine President Bush’s policy, which prohibits federal funds for stem cell research that results in the destruction of human embryos. His rule allows funds for research only on embryonic stem cell lines already in existence when his policy was unveiled in 2001.

The president has promised to veto legislation that overturns his policy. The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, H.R. 810, passed the House in a 238-194 vote, far short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto. It would underwrite research that uses embryos left over at in vitro fertilization clinics.

Though he has not brought the bill to the Senate floor for a vote, Frist endorsed federal funding of embryonic stem cell research in July, reversing his previous position.

The ERLC and other pro-life organizations oppose efforts to weaken the Bush policy because of the destructive nature of embryonic stem cell research.

Embryonic stem cell research has failed to produce any successful therapies in human beings and has been plagued by the development of tumors in lab animals. Meanwhile, research on stem cells from non-embryonic sources has produced treatments for at least 67 ailments, according to Do No Harm, a coalition promoting ethics in research. These include spinal cord injuries, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis and sickle cell anemia.

Further Learning

Learn more about: Life, Stem-Cell Research