Congress Approves Bill to Expand Stem Cell Research - Women's Congressional Policy Institute

On June 7, the House approved, 247-176, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (S. 5) after it rejected a motion to recommit, 180-242. The bill would allow the Department of Health and Human Services to use federal funding to conduct and support human embryonic stem cell research. Currently, federal funding for embryonic stem cell research is limited to cells derived on or before August 9, 2001. The Senate approved the measure on April 11 (see The Source, 4/13/2007). President Bush has indicated he will veto the bill.

Under the legislation, embryonic stem cells could be used for research if they met the following conditions:

the stem cells were derived from human embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics, were created for the purposes of fertility treatment, and were in excess of the clinical need of the individuals seeking such treatment;
prior to consideration of embryo donation, and through consultation with the individuals seeking fertility treatment, it had been determined that the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and
the individuals seeking fertility treatment donated the embryos with written informed consent and without receiving financial or other incentives to make the donation.
The measure also would require the National Institutes of Health to “conduct and support” methods of stem cell research that do not involve human embryonic stem cells.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said, “Every family in America who has concerns about the health and well-being of moms and dads, grandparents and children, brothers and sisters owes a deep debt of gratitude to [Rep.] Diana DeGette [(D-CO), sponsor of the House version of bill (see The Source, 1/12/07)]…Every one of those families in America, every one of us is one telephone call or one diagnosis away from needing the benefits of stem cell research. I can’t help but think that even those who are against this legislation today would want their family members, their child with diabetes, their husband with Parkinson’s, their father with Alzheimer’s, their mother with breast cancer, to have the benefit of stem cell research.” She continued, “Mr. Speaker, this week I am observing 20 years in the Congress of the United States. I am proud of that. But I mention it here because this is one of the most glorious days, in the top five for sure, that I have experienced here. With the introduction of this legislation again, with its passage, which I think will be clear and bipartisan, we are doing something that is relevant to the lives of the American people. And we are doing something that gives people hope. With this legislation, we have the opportunity to save lives, find cures and, again, give hope to those suffering. It is an opportunity that neither we nor the president should miss.”

“The debate is not about whether we should do embryonic stem cell research, would that it was, would that we were here on the floor actually debating along the fault lines of science and morality,” said Rep. Steve Pence (R-IN). He continued, “I am ready for that debate. Forty-eight years and nine months ago today, I was an embryo. I am ready to have the debate about the sanctity and the value of human life. But we are not having that debate today…And any one of my colleagues here on the floor and anyone listening in, let’s at least be honest about what we’re talking about…This debate is about who we are as a nation; whether or not Congress will, as they did before, send legislation to the President of the United States that will take the taxpayer dollars of millions of pro-life Americans and use it to fund research that they find morally objectionable. But I can count, Mr. Speaker. I expect this legislation will pass again. But I thank God that we have a president in the White House who will, I have every confidence, veto this legislation just as he did before, and that we have a tenacious pro-life minority in this House that will defend the president’s veto.”