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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 ******** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn