| Embryonic Stem Cell Research |
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bridges vol. 14, July 2007 / Bills in Brief: S&T Policy News In January 2007, the House again passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (H.R. 3 ) with a vote of 253-174. The Senate followed suit in April (S. 5 ) with a vote of 63-34. S. 5 made it through the House on June 7 with a vote of 247-176 - but on June 20 President Bush vetoed the bill. Unlike H.R. 3 , the Senate bill S.5 contained additional provisions encouraging research into alternative methods of deriving stem cells. This is largely symbolic, as these alternative methods are already eligible for NIH funding. In the midst of the congressional debates on embryonic stem cell research, on April 18, the US.Supreme Court also upheld the Partial-Birth Abortion Act that bans the intact dilation and extraction abortion procedure, most commonly referred to as the "partial birth abortion." This bans some abortions after 12 weeks of fetal gestation. This has provided more fuel to Pro-life protests and their argument that life begins at conception, which means that any tampering after conception should be considered criminal. The following time line shows that, as the federal government closes its wallet to funding the research, government on the state level embraces the research and, in some cases, races to fund private institutions and universities in their states who may profit from the latest advances. Access to the full article is free, but requires you to register. Registration is simple and quick – all we need is your name and a valid e-mail address. We appreciate your interest in bridges. |
