Bush vetoes stem-cell research bill on 'moral' grounds
MARY DALRYMPLE
Associated PressWASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush cast the first veto of his 5½-year presidency yesterday, saying legislation easing limits on federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research "crosses a moral boundary" and is wrong.
"This bill would support the taking of innocent human life in the hope of finding medical benefits for others," Mr. Bush said at a White House event where he was surrounded by 18 families who "adopted" frozen embryos not used by other couples, and then used those embryos to have children.
"Each of these children was adopted while still an embryo and has been blessed with a chance to grow, to grow up in a loving family. These boys and girls are not spare parts," he said.
The veto came a day after the Senate defied Mr. Bush and approved the legislation 63-37, four votes short of the two-thirds margin needed to override the veto. White House officials and Republican congressional leaders claimed it was unlikely that Congress could override the veto.
Mr. Bush's support was the strongest in the House, which was expected to take up the veto as early as late yesterday.
Mr. Bush has supported federally funded research on only those stem-cell lines created before Aug. 9, 2001 -- the date of his speech to the nation on the subject.
The President vetoed the measure shortly after it came to his desk. His position was politically popular among conservative Republicans, and it was sure to be an issue in the midterm congressional elections.
At the same time, Mr. Bush announced he had signed another bill, passed unanimously in the House and Senate, that would pre-emptively ban "fetal farming," the prospect of raising and aborting fetuses for scientific research.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist was quick to criticize the President's veto.
"I am pro-life, but I disagree with the President's decision to veto the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act," said Mr. Frist. "Given the potential of this research and the limitations of the existing lines eligible for federally funded research, I think additional lines should be made available."
Said Mr. Bush: "As science brings us ever closer to unlocking the secrets of human biology, it also offers temptations to manipulate human life and violate human dignity. Our conscience in history as a nation demands that we resist this temptation.
"America was founded on the principle that we are all created equal and endowed by our creator with the right to life," he added. "We can advance the cause of science while upholding this founding promise. We can harness the promise of technology without becoming slaves to technology. And we can ensure that science serves the cause of humanity, instead of the other way around."
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