WASHINGTON, JULY 19, 2006 - "It is not justifiable to destroy an innocent life in pursuit of research that could save other lives," said Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Ocala). "There are alternative sources of stem cells that hold promise for breakthroughs in life-saving treatments while preserving an ethical line protecting human life."
Stearns voted today to sustain the President's veto of H.R. 810, which proposed federal funding for research that requires the destruction of human embryos. The House tried to overturn the veto, but that effort failed to receive the required two-thirds support.
Added Stearns, "We are already providing federal funding for embryonic stem cell lines that had already been created from destroyed embryos. There are 78 of these lines and only 22 of them are being used in federally funded research. These lines have proved so useful that they are used in 85 percent of the world's published embryonic stem cell studies. In addition, there is nothing in law preventing private funding of embryonic stem cell research."
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