Bush Again Sacrifices Science to Politics

By Jessica Hopper, Communications Intern

July 18, 2006

George W. Bush proved again that he cares more about right-wing extremists than about the rest of us, with his threat to veto an embryonic stem cell research bill passed by the Senate.

The Senate today passed a trio of bills regarding stem cell research. The most controversial of the three, H.R. 810, would expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and allows the use of discarded embryos from fertility clinic patients.

Despite wide bipartisan support for this bill (it passed 63-37), the White House issued a statement of administration policy on Monday saying, "If [the bill] were presented to the president, he would veto the bill."

This would be the first veto by Bush in his six year presidency.

"With a stroke of his pen, George Bush will shorten the life, and the quality of life, for untold numbers of people. Just once, he should consider the well-being of ordinary people, instead of constantly pandering to religious and political extremists. Most people in this country recognize the incredible potential of this research and support it," said NOW President Kim Gandy in response to the White House statement.

Bush's extreme stance on stem cell research is well outside the mainstream of public opinion. According to a recent poll by the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, 72 percent of the country supports embryonic stem cell research.

H.R. 810 would override the restrictions on embryonic stem cell research that Bush instituted in 2001, restrictions that stand in the way of scientific progress in this area.

Bush's refusal to acknowledge the medical promise shown by embryonic stem cell research is all too familiar for women. Unfortunately, it's right in line with his administration's pressure on the Food and Drug Administration to refuse over-the-counter emergency contraception, when science has repeatedly shown it to be safe, and to his insistence on promoting abstinence-only sex education despite evidence that such education is inaccurate and ineffective, and may be counter-productive.

The two other bills, S. 2754 and S. 3504, propose federal funding for stem cell research not involving embryos and banning "fetal farming," the development of embryos for research. These most likely will be signed by Bush.

If Bush chooses to use his veto of the third bill, both houses of Congress will have to produce a two-thirds vote to override the veto, a feat possible in the Senate but unlikely in the House.

A similar embryonic stem cell research bill passed in the House last year with a 238-194 vote, 50 votes short of the threshold for an override.

"This President has a habit of sacrificing science for politics. We can only hope that with enough votes in Congress we can prevent his extreme ideology from halting the progress of critical stem cell research," Gandy said.

For more information:
Stem Cell Research Could Make Miracles Happen