"They remind us of what is lost when embryos are destroyed in the name of research. They remind us that we all begin our lives as a small collection of cells. And they remind us that in our zeal for new treatments and cures, America must never abandon our fundamental morals," Bush added.

He said the bill would have crossed a moral line and "once crossed, we would find it impossible to turn back."

Hatch said that while he supports Bush's desire for more adoptions of frozen embryos, "7,000 to 20,000 of them are destroyed each year. How can you allow 7,000 to 20,000 of these spare embryos to be destroyed a year, yet consider it murder to use them for research to benefit mankind? Either way, they are being destroyed."

Hatch said he had discussed his proposed compromise with the White House on Wednesday. "They didn't say they couldn't do it, but they didn't say they would either," he said. "This could be done tomorrow if the White House wanted to. But they need to think it through."

In the failed attempt to override the veto in the House, 51 Republicans joined 183 Democrats and one independent to seek the override, while 179 Republicans and just 14 Democrats opposed it. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, voted for the override — but Reps. Chris Cannon and Rob Bishop, R-Utah, opposed it.

Matheson said he sought the override because stem-cell research offers tremendous promise. "How long must people wait for these breakthroughs? I am disappointed that the president chose this bill as his first-ever veto target."

Cannon said, "We should never sacrifice life in the pursuit of science."

Bishop said, "If this bill was to become law, American taxpayers — for the first time ever — would be forced to pay for research that requires the destruction of human life. We should not cross this moral and ethical line, no matter how noble the end goal may appear."

Hatch and Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, were among relatively few Republicans who supported the bill. Hatch argued that frozen embryos are not human life, unless they are implanted in a mother's womb.

Bush has made 141 veto threats during his 5 1/2 years in office, and the Republicans controlling Congress typically respond by changing bills to his liking. Only Thomas Jefferson had served longer as president before first using his veto power.

---

Contributing: Associated Press

E-mail: lee@desnews.com