Kerry calls for more stem-cell funds

PITTSBURGH — Sen. John F. Kerry on Saturday called for more federal funding of stem cell research at the nation's universities and medical centers in the hopes of spurring discoveries that could cure Alzheimer's and other diseases.

Citing Ronald Reagan's recent death due to complications from Alzheimer's, the Democratic presidential hopeful noted that Nancy Reagan, the late president's widow, supports increased research on stem cells, which are harvested from human embryos.

"She told the world that Alzheimer's had taken her own husband to a distant place, and then she stood up to help find a breakthrough that someday will spare other husbands, wives, children and parents from the same kind of heartache," Kerry, D-Mass., said in the weekly Democratic radio address.

Stem cells, which can multiply and become almost any type of tissue when transplanted into the body, hold promise for treating diabetes and curing degenerative neurological disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

"Stem cells could replace damaged heart cells or cells destroyed by cancer, offering a new lease on life to those suffering from diseases that once came with a certain death sentence," Kerry said.

President Bush signed an executive order in 2001 limiting federal research funds to existing stem-cell colonies in response to concerns that the practice would encourage the creation of human life for research purposes.

Bush's campaign defended his position.

"President Bush believes we must advance the promise and cause of medical science, including through ethical stem cell research, yet we must do so in ways that respect human dignity and help build a culture of life," spokeswoman Alison Harden said Saturday. "Under President Bush's leadership, for the first time, federal dollars are supporting human embryonic stem cell research consistent with the ethical guidelines he announced in 2001."

But supporters of the research argue that a shortage of human stem-cell lines is preventing vitally needed medical research. Two weeks ago, a bipartisan group of 58 senators called for a loosening of federal restrictions, noting that there are an estimated 400,000 frozen in vitro "test tube" embryos in the United States that could be donated for science.

On Saturday, Kerry reiterated his support for lifting the ban on expanded stem-cell research, which he said must be coupled with a strict ethical oversight of the practice.

"We must lift the barriers that stand in the way of science and push the boundaries of medical exploration so that researchers can find the cures that are there, if only they are allowed to look," Kerry said.

"The medical discoveries that come from stem cell are crucial next steps in humanity's uphill climb," he added.