A comprise decision from Bush:
cnn.com
Sources: Bush to allow limited stem cell
funding
August 9, 2001 Posted: 6:38 PM EDT (2238 GMT)
CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) -- Two
sources close to President George
W. Bush's deliberations on
embryonic stem cell research said
Thursday he has decided to allow
limited federal funding for the
controversial science.
Bush is scheduled to announce his
decision on the issue in a nationally
televised address at 9 p.m. EDT
Thursday.
The two sources said Bush has
decided on a compromise that will
allow the funding with the following
conditions:
-- The research would be limited to
stem cells derived from leftover
embryos at fertility clinics that otherwise would be discarded.
-- Couples providing the embryos must give their written consent that they
could be used for stem cell research.
Bush also will oppose the creation of embryos
strictly for stem cell research, the two sources
said.
Other White House aides, however, cautioned
that Bush's decision is a closely guarded secret,
and they warned against listening to anyone who
claimed to know what the president has decided.
The issue of embryonic stem cell research has
divided conservatives and pitted the scientific
community against some religious leaders.
"This is an issue that many people, many
Americans find the more they learn about it, the
more complex it is," said Scott McClellan,
deputy White House press secretary. "Stem cell
research in many ways is the leading edge of the
new frontier of science, and, as we explore the
science, we need to make sure that we do so in a
way that adheres to the highest ethical
standards."
He said the president had consulted "dozens" of
experts about the issue.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy
Thompson said the president would make a
"reasoned opinion and decision" and described
himself as "very proud" of the way Bush had
"handled himself throughout this whole debate."
"I know that the president has spent a great deal
of time talking to experts and just plain individual
citizens about this subject. And he has spent
more time on this subject than probably anybody
can really imagine because he was very
concerned about it," Thompson told CNN.
Several aides described the decision as one of the
most important of Bush's presidency.
White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card said
the president will balance science and technology
against "the huge moral implications and ethical
challenges" raised by embryonic stem cell
research.
Bush is scheduled to address the nation from the "Governor's House," the old
ranch house on his property in Crawford where he is on a monthlong working
vacation.
Some senior advisers who did not know what the president decided told CNN
they hoped he would endorse federal funding.
Others expected the president's decision to look very much like a proposal
forwarded by Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, a nationally known heart-and-lung
transplant surgeon and key Bush health care ally in the Senate.
Last month, Frist endorsed federal funding for limited embryonic stem cell
research. Frist's proposal would ban the creation of embryos for research
purposes and limit research to stem cells derived from fertility clinics that would
otherwise be discarded.
Other limits would include a federal ban
on cloning and written consent from the
couples who provided the embryos that
they could be used for stem cell
research. Frist also endorsed an
increase in federal support for adult
stem cell research, a companion branch
of research that may also provide cures
to serious diseases.
Senior aides said the decision has been
kept "in the family," a reference to the
tight circle of advisers that includes the
first lady, presidential counselor Karen
Hughes and senior political adviser Karl
Rove.
As of midday Thursday, other senior aides commonly consulted on policy and
communications were unaware of what Bush had decided. Fewer than 10
people know the decision, aides said.
The president has said his decision is "way beyond politics," but it will have
political ramifications.
If he decides to back research on stem cells from human embryos, opponents
of the research, including Catholics and many anti-abortion activists, will charge
he is breaking a campaign promise. If he backs the research, moderates will be
pleased.
Thompson said "he's been very concerned about the ethical issues and of
course the scientific breakthroughs that might happen. So it's been very
controversial. But the president has been very straightforward."
"He wants information. He wants to as much as he can absolutely have on the
subject and he's been doing his own research himself in regards to the ethical
questions and the scientific questions by talking to individuals who are very
learned in these positions."
Speaking in Washington, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-South
Dakota, indicated that Bush would have a political fight on his hands if he did
not support federal funding. Daschle said legislation to accomplish just that
would be considered this fall if the president opposes the funding.
"To support federal funding for embryonic stem cell research is to come down
on the side of hope for the millions of Americans suffering from diseases
ranging from Alzheimer's to cancer to Parkinson's to diabetes," Daschle said. |
