Stem Cell Bill Delayed in Senate

Stem Cell Bill Delayed in Senate

According to a brief article in yesterday’s on-line edition of the Boston Globe, Senator Arlen Specter told the Senate that Majority Leader Bill Frist has decided not to schedule a vote on the stem cell legislation until sometime in 2006. The proposed legislation would lift the restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. A Reuters alert on the same subject added the information that the spending bill which has been put forward to the Senate by the Health and Human Services committee does include money for a cord-blood bank.

An article written by a Chicago Tribune writer and re-printed in the San Jose Mercury News analyzes the implications of this. In the article, author Steve Ivey presents the issue as one that could cause political trouble for President Bush. Ivey reports that stem cell research has broad public support and a veto of the bill by Bush could alienate a large portion of his centrist support, who would see that he “is at odds with them on a key issue.”

Ivey also reports on the results of a Johns Hopkins University Genetics and Public Policy poll, which showed that 67 % approved or strongly approved of embryonic stem cell research. Even 50% of evangelical Christians approved or strongly approved.

My thoughts: Bush has shown himself to have a tin ear to the needs of people in trouble before, and vetoing this bills, if it comes to a vote and passes, seems like another opportunity for him to misstep with the public. The House has passed it and the Senate has debated and held hearings and probably could pass it now. President Bush needs to remember that he holds his position by election and has not been divinely chosen. ‘Nuff said.