Cantwell Blasts Bush Veto of Life-Saving Stem Cell Bill Passed by House and Senate

Press Release

Wednesday, after the president vetoed bipartisan stem cell legislation, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said she would work with colleagues from both parties in the Senate and House to override the veto and make this critical legislation law. The bill, cosponsored by Cantwell, would remove restrictions and open the door to federal support of stem cell research.

"For the second year in a row, the president's veto has denied hope to millions of Americans," said Cantwell. "Congress came together yet again across party lines to pass solid legislation supported by a clear majority of Americans. This bill offers real hope to people who suffer everyday from ailments like Parkinson's or Alzheimer's. The President should not stand in the way of potentially lifesaving cures."

The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, introduced in January, lifts current restrictions on stem cell lines derived after August 9, 2001, allowing federal funds to be used to study and examine them. The measure passed the Senate in April and cleared the House in May.

The legislation does not allow federal funds to be used to derive the stem cell lines, and imposes ethical rules that are tighter than under current law. It specifies that federally funded research can only involve embryos that are donated to in vitro fertilization clinics. Furthermore, the individuals who donate the embryos must give written, informed consent before the embryos can be used for stem cell research. The legislation also provides for research into alternative methods of deriving stem cells.

Current restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research are so limited that nearly all research options under these restrictions have been exhausted, leaving many researchers unable to investigate promising new treatments with the potential to produce groundbreaking cures.

Congress passed similar stem cell legislation in July 2006, but failed narrowly to overturn a veto by the president. After Senate passage of last year's bill, Cantwell joined 40 other senators in calling on then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) to urge the president to reconsider his opposition to the measure. In August 2006, Cantwell visited Seattle's Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center to highlight the potential of stem cell research in developing new, more effective treatments.

Approximately 35,000 Washingtonians currently live with Parkinson's, 300,000 have been diagnosed with diabetes while another 127,000 have undiagnosed diabetes. 160,000 Washingtonians have suffered from heart failure, 5,000 live with spinal cord injuries, and one in ten will be affected by some form of liver disease in their lifetime. Stem cell research holds promise for those living with each of these ailments.

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