The Washington Post
 FEDERAL PAGE  /      The Administration
Stem Cell Research Divides Administration
Thompson Expresses Optimism That a Compromise
Will Be Reached Soon
"He is looking to find a way that will be unifying rather than divisive,"
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said of President Bush.

By Ceci Connolly and Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, June 12, 2001; Page A08

The Bush administration is deeply divided over whether to fund
experimentation on cells from human embryos, a controversial new
area of research that defies traditional allegiances in the abortion
debate, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G.
Thompson said yesterday.

Despite the complex and polarized nature of the debate, Thompson
expressed confidence that a compromise could be reached within
the next few weeks -- and if President Bush asks, he is prepared to
make the final call.

"If I had my personal druthers, sure I'd make the decision,"
Thompson said during a luncheon interview with editors and
reporters of The Washington Post. "I'm ready to make the
decision if he asks me."

Many scientists believe embryonic stem cells will lead to
groundbreaking treatments for a wide variety of ailments,
such as juvenile diabetes, Parkinson's disease and spinal
cord injuries. Under guidelines written by the Clinton
administration but not yet implemented, federally funded
researchers may not destroy embryos but may conduct
experiments on cells that privately funded researchers have
retrieved from embryos.

The Bush administration suspended those guidelines, saying
it wanted to review the scientific and ethical implications of the
work since embryos are destroyed when the cells are retrieved.
The president has said he supports federal funding of research
on similar cells obtained from adults, but some scientists question
whether those cells have the same therapeutic potential as
embryonic cells.

"You have a lot of people touting one or the other,"
Thompson said. "But there has not been the basic, pure
scientific review as to whether or not one is better than
another."

As governor of Wisconsin, Thompson praised the discoverer
of human embryonic stem cells, a researcher at the University
of Wisconsin. However, Thompson acknowledged yesterday
that when it comes to crafting national policy, ethical and
political questions loom large.

"Hopefully we'll come up with a decision that's going to allow
for the continuation of research, which is very important, and
at the same time take into consideration the legal and the
ethical questions that have to be considered," he said.

Thompson attributed part of the delay to Bush's request for more
information.

"He is looking to find a way that will be unifying rather than
divisive," he said.

But unity has been elusive. Asked directly whether there were
"strong political cross pressures" within the White House,
Thompson replied: "There is; you're right."

Many anti-abortion activists oppose stem cell research because
they argue it is akin to experimenting on the unborn, but the
politics of the issue are far more complicated, said several
administration aides close to the discussions.

"The fact that there are a number of pro-life Republicans supportive
of this is the new issue," said one of Bush's leading health care
advisers. Among those conservatives lobbying for money for the
research are former senator Connie Mack (R-Fla.), Rep. Randy
"Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.) and Rick Davis, a top adviser to
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Sources inside the administration and patient advocates lobbying
the White House for funding say top Bush political adviser Karl
Rove, voicing concern about the Catholic vote, has led the camp
that opposes spending federal money on the research. Vice
President Cheney, after speaking to aides and meeting with a
group from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, has
been receptive to a possible research compromise, these sources
said.

Research advocates recently delivered to the White House the
findings of a nationwide poll indicating that 77 percent support
research on stem cells taken from frozen embryos about to be
discarded by fertility clinics. Among adults who identified
themselves as "pro-life," 69 percent expressed support and
22 percent opposed the research, according to the survey of
more than 1,000 adults conducted by the Coalition for the
Advancement of Medical Research.

Even as Thompson said he was confident he could find consensus,
two White House spokesmen appeared to play down his role,
emphasizing that Bush will make the decision.

"This is something the White House is handling," said Cheney
spokeswoman Juleanna Glover. This is "a decision the president
is going to make."

The apparently divergent views within the upper echelons of the
Bush administration illustrated one of the frustrations that
Thompson said he has had to adjust to since coming to
Washington.

"Everything has to be vetted and vetted and vetted. . . . It's a
strange process," he said. "The bureaucracy in Washington
is very risk-averse and it doesn't suit my style very well."

Nonetheless, on an issue as sensitive as stem cells, he said,
he has no qualms about waiting for the president to weigh
all the issues.

"This president wants to be involved and he should be,"
Thompson said. "If he wants to be involved in the process
he should be."

The former governor said no options have been ruled out.

"Everything is on the table," he said. "I think there is an
answer there that we are all working on that is going to
allow research to continue with some moderations, but
one that will be hopefully satisfactory to the various views
that are very polarized at this point."

Staff writer Amy Goldstein contributed to this report.

© 2001 The Washington Post Company

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53376-2001Jun11.html

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