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The New York Times reported today that "several Republican senators are urging President Bush to authorize the use of federal money for medical research that involves cells derived from human embryos." They are Orrin G. Hatch of Utah , Susan Collins of Maine, Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, Arlen Specter of PA., Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, Gordon H. Smith of Oregon, and independent James M. Jeffords of Vermont, " Senator Hatch, a foe of abortion, told Mr. Bush that research with embryonic stem cells was "consistent with bedrock pro-life, pro-family values." The experiments, he said, raised questions "fundamentally different" from those surrounding abortion." "".... Mr. Hatch, the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Ms. Collins, a founder of the Senate caucus that champions the cause of 16 million Americans with diabetes, expressed their views last week in separate letters to Mr. Bush." "... The president's advisers on science and health policy, including Tommy G. Thompson, the secretary of health and human services, see immense potential value in research with embryonic stem cells. But Karl Rove and other political advisers worry that support for such research would alienate conservative voters, anti-abortion groups and the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church." "... But Mr. Hatch told the president that research with embryonic stem cells was "legal, scientifically compelling and ethically sound." ".... Recent studies suggest that stem cells obtained from the tissue of adults are more versatile than previously thought. But Ms. Collins said, "It will take years of further study to determine the therapeutic potential of adult stem cells." Embryonic stem cells are typically obtained from fertility clinics. Mr. Hatch insisted that a frozen embryo stored in a refrigerator in a clinic was not equivalent to an embryo or a fetus in the womb." Full article :The New York Times, June 19, 2001, Tuesday, Late Edition - Section A; Page 18; Column 1: Several G.O.P. Senators Back Money for Stem Cell Research BY ROBERT PEAR or online: http://www.nytimes.com Linda ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn