Stem Cell Research / Your Severe Weather Station, South Bend, Indiana News, Weather, Sports, Notre Dame News, StormTeam 16

With six fewer House votes than they had in January, Democrats sent President Bush a bill allowing the government to pay for embryonic stem cell research.

For some lawmakers, like Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado, it is personal: “This can help my daughter have no more seizures. It's a potential, a possibility.”

For others, like Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, it is economic: “They want pro-life Americans, like me, to get our wallets out and finance it, and I'm not having that.”

Whatever the reason, lawmakers have strong emotions about research some say will save lives and others argue destroy them.

Rep. Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania said, “Just this morning, more news of progress using ethical stem cell research.”

Scientists say they have turned regular skin cells in mice into embryonic ones.

“They looked exactly the same. We never found any difference,” said Kathryn Plath, a researcher from UCLA.

If replicated in humans, this finding could one day make the whole ethics debate irrelevant.

Until that happens, many people with debilitating diseases insist that embryonic stem cells are their best hope.

Even with the promise of a second presidential veto, supporters are not giving up.

In a statement from Germany, President Bush called the vote disappointing.

The new democratic leadership has made stem cell research one of their top priorities.

President Bush has made it clear he will not budge, which means this issue may be at a standstill until after the 2008 elections.

President Bush has already promised to veto the bill.

On Thursday, the house was 35 votes short of the margin they would need to override it.

Public opinion polls show widespread support for stem cell research.

We want to know what you think.

Was Congress right to approve legislation supporting embryonic stem cell research or do you agree with President Bush?

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Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

Posted by: Debbie Location: LaPorte County on Jun 7, 2007 at 09:58 PM
I believe that stem cell research should be funded by the federal government, and I'm a pro-life advocate. The umbilical cord from a newly born baby is chock full of stem cells, why can't those be harvested? With the thousands of babies born every day, it wouldn't take long to get some viable research going.

Posted by: rebecca Location: Goshen on Jun 7, 2007 at 05:44 PM
No! how could it ever be ethical to destroy a life for someone else's benefit? Stem cells from adults have already proven beneficial for treatments. I don't support taxpayer funding for embryonic stem cells.

Posted by: Debbie jones Location: Shipshewana on Jun 7, 2007 at 05:13 PM
Babies don't have to dye for stem cell research. If Bush and others are so afraid of death then STOP the killing of our soldiers and why is abortion legal? you can't yell ethical over one thing and its ok for another.

Posted by: Shawna Location: South Bend on Jun 7, 2007 at 05:13 PM
I believe it was wrong of Congress to vote that it is right to end the life of a baby who has not had the chance to live in order to prolong or improve the life of those who have already had the priviledge of being born. With the exciting new techniques being explored that would not require the use of an embryo, I think it would be prudent to exercise patience in hope of a better solution.

Posted by: Shirley Location: Niles on Jun 7, 2007 at 05:13 PM
I believe that they have other ways to do stem cell research without using embryonic stem cells. I think that the polls they do, do not use the word embryonic but just stem cells. I work in the health care field but do not believe they should use embryos.

Posted by: barbara on Jun 7, 2007 at 05:11 PM
i do not want my tax dollars to pay for this. I believe embryos are human being and this is unethical. We should spend money on non embryonic stem cell reasearch

Posted by: Kathy Location: Elkhart on Jun 7, 2007 at 04:45 PM
We just had a debate over this very thing in our BioMedical Ethics class this week. I'm not sure why this is not more well known but there are many different types of stem cell research. The only controversial one (right now) is embryonic stem cell research as this kills a living being. Though there are slight differences in the actual cells from adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells, one other option is the stem cells that can be retrieved from amniotic fluid. Both that and the embryonic stem cells are pluripotent which is the key attraction to wanting to work with embryonic stem cells. The only reason known right now that scientists would choose embryonic over amniotic fluid would be so they could study the embryo. But as far as stem cell research goes they would offer the same benefit and using amniotic fluid would not be killing a living being, therefore, no ethical dilemma.

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