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Lawrence Journal - World Stem cell decision will have fallout By Jack Anderson and Douglas Cohn - United Feature Syndicate Tuesday, July 3, 2001 Washington — President Bush is poised to make a decision that could affect the future of medical research for decades to come. Whichever way he goes, the political fallout will be substantial. The issue is stem cell research, and the role of the federal government in funding the research. Embryonic stem cells offer great promise to those who suffer from debilitating diseases — everything from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's to diabetes and spinal cord injuries. The cells are collected from embryos created in fertility clinics that would otherwise be discarded. Bush said during the campaign that he opposed stem cell research, and when he first took office, some analysts thought he would sign an executive order to impose a ban. Former President Bush had supported a ban on fetal tissue testing and the parallel between father and son suggested that stem cell research would meet the same fate. When Bush decided instead to "review" Clinton-era regulations, there was a huge sigh of relief in the scientific and medical community. The Clinton administration had fashioned a compromise that permitted stem cell research to go forward with federal funding as long as there was parental consent and private money was used to obtain the cells from the embryos. But now, months later, there is pressure on Bush to either give a green light to federal research or to fulfill his campaign promise and put an end to such testing. The debate has exposed a crack in the religious right as some prominent pro-life conservatives side with science and abandon their traditional opposition to embryo research. Their reasons vary. Some, like South Carolina Republican Sen. Strom Thurmond, are motivated because a loved one might benefit from the research. Thurmond has a daughter who is diabetic and stem cell research holds out the hope of growing the cells needed to produce insulin. Others have struggled to reconcile their religious faith with scientific advances and have found a rationale they are comfortable with. Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch (R), a devout Mormon, and former Florida Sen. Connie Mack (R), a practicing Catholic, are in this category. They differentiate between an embryo created in a petri dish and an embryo implanted in a woman's womb. Even if you believe, as Mack does, that life begins at conception, he does not believe that stem cell research violates that belief. "As long as that fertilized egg is not destined to be placed in an uterus, it cannot become life," he says. The political momentum on Capitol Hill supports federal funding for this research. Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., has hinted that he could get behind it, and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who opposed stem cell research during his campaign last year, has now come out in favor of it. If Bush decides to go forward, he would have plenty of political cover from Republicans on the right. On the other side is Karl Rove, the political guru who got Bush elected and who fervently believes the path to re-election lies with keeping the Republican base happy. Rove has not spoken out on the issue, yet all the indications are that he is adamantly opposed to federal funding for embryonic research. He fears that it will upset the base and interfere with Bush's efforts to woo Catholic voters. Bush will travel to the Vatican in late July to meet with the pope. It is hard to believe, given this travel schedule, that Bush expects to make a decision that will displease the pontiff. Bush could call for more aggressive "adult" stem cell research — using tissue from people rather than embryos. But the scientific promise is not comparable. The White House is searching for a compromise, but on some issues, there is no middle ground. http://www.ljworld.com/section/opinion/story/58051 * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn