For those who did not see this article.
Compromise on Stem Cell Research Sought


By Charles Babington
washingtonpost.com staff writer
Monday, June 11, 2001; 3:18 PM


The Bush administration is seeking a way to allow embryo cell research to
continue "with some moderations" in hopes of appeasing activists on both
sides of the divisive medical research issue, Secretary of Health and Human
Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said today.

At a luncheon with Washington Post reporters and editors, Thompson said the
administration will announce its decision late this month or early July.
"We're looking at the legal implications of it, the ethical questions and of
course the political questions and the scientific ones," he said.

President Bush is weighing whether to allow federal funding for research
into stem cells derived from human embryos. The embryos in question are left
over from in vitro fertilization treatments for infertile couples. Advocates
note that such embryos are destined to be destroyed anyway, and current
guidelines prohibit embryos from being created for research.

Studies indicate that human embryonic cell research might lead to cures for
ailments including diabetes, Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's. But some
groups, including anti-abortion activists and the Catholic Church, oppose
the research on ethical grounds. Some contend that adult tissues might prove
an adequate source of stem cells, which can develop into various types of
tissues. Thus far, however, embryonic cells have shown the greatest promise.

Thompson, a former Wisconsin governor, has expressed interest in the medical
possibilities of embryonic stem-cell research. But he acknowledged that some
White House officials oppose it.

"I'm passionate about research," Thompson said. "I'm very concerned on this
subject, and 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. The president is very cognizant of this subject,
and he wants more information, and we're giving him that information. He is
looking to find a way that will be unifying rather than divisive."

Asked about possible compromise approaches, Thompson said: "Everything is on
the table." Bush, he said, "may just say that the Department of Health and
Human Services should make the decision. And if he does, I'm ready to make
it."

"There's a lot of real, tremendous successes that can be had with stem cell
research," the secretary said. "We have to decide, first of all, whether the
law allows any kind of federal dollars to go into stem cells that are
derived from an embryo. That's a big question because the law is fairly
specific. Second thing, there are some ethical questions, and some
scientific questions. I am fairly confident that we will come up with a plan
that takes all of these matters into consideration.''


© 2001 Washington Post Newsweek Interactive
----- Original Message -----
From: Murray Charters <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2001 1:38 AM
Subject: NEWS: HHS Secretary Seeks Compromise on Stem Cell Research


> Associated Press  -  June 11, 2001
> Stem Cell Research Debated
> By LAURA MECKLER
> Associated Press Writer
> WASHINGTON (AP)--Health and Human Services Secretary
> Tommy Thompson is looking for a compromise on the thorny
> issue of whether to allow federal financing of promising research
> that uses stem cells derived from embryos.
>
> Thompson and President Bush ``hope to come to a place that
> is a unifying position,'' HHS spokesman Campbell Gardett said
> Monday.
>
> Thompson, who has praised groundbreaking stem cell research
> being conducted in his home state of Wisconsin, has also
> suggested that he is troubled by a federal law that some say
> prohibits HHS from paying for it.
>
> Congress has barred federal money for research that destroys
> embryos, but the Clinton administration concluded that the
> National Institutes of Health could pay for research using cells
> that had been extracted with private money.
>
> Stem cells are building blocks for all human tissue. The most
> useful cells are derived from embryos discarded at fertility
> clinics, and some abortion opponents say it is wrong to use
> them for research.
>
> Research proponents say the embryos are being destroyed
> anyway and that using them could lead to revolutionary
> treatments for Alzheimer's, diabetes and other diseases.
>
> The devisive debate has dogged Thompson since his
> confirmation hearings earlier this year.
>
> Asked about the issue during an interview Monday with
> The Washington Post, Thompson said he was looking for
> a compromise that would allow the research to continue
> ``with some modifications.''
>
> ``We're looking at the legal implications of it, the ethical
> questions and of course the political questions and the
> scientific ones,'' he told the Post, according to an account
> posted on the newspaper's Web site.
>
> Asked about possible compromise approaches, Thompson
> said: ``Everything is on the table.'' He promised a decision
> by late June or early July.
>
> Spokesman Gardett emphasized that the secretary did not
> commit himself to any course of action.
>
> ``There's a lot of real, tremendous successes that can be had
> with stem cell research,'' Thompson told the Post. ``We have
> to decide, first of all, whether the law allows any kind of federal
> dollars to go into stem cells that are derived from an embryo.
> That's a big question because the law is fairly specific.
>
> ``Second thing, there are some ethical questions, and some
> scientific questions. I am fairly confident that we will come
> up with a plan that takes all of these matters into consideration.''
>
> AP-NY-06-11-01 2336EDT
>
>
http://www.accesswaco.com/shared/news/ap/ap_story.html/Washington/AP.V7280.A
P-Thompson-Stem-C.html
>
> ********
>
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