Bush unswayed on stem cells

WASHINGTON — A letter by Sen. Orrin Hatch and 57 other senators, including John Kerry, has failed to persuade President Bush to relax restrictions on embryonic stem cell research funding.

And it has led to a new attack on Hatch by a pro-life group.

White House spokesman Scott McCellan told reporters Monday that Bush is standing firm on limiting the number of stem cell lines eligible for federal funding to those existing in 2001 — even though the senators contend that is not sufficient for needed research.

"The president came up with a policy that will allow us to explore the promise of stem cell research, and do so in a way that doesn't cross a certain moral threshold . . . That is his position, and that remains his position," McClellan said.

He added, "The president doesn't believe we should be creating life for the sole purpose of destroying life."

In the letter that Hatch helped push, senators noted that couples seeking to conceive a baby through in vitro fertilization often have more embryos created and frozen than are actually used.

"There are estimated to be more than 400,000 IVF embryos, which are currently frozen and will likely be destroyed if not donated, with informed consent of the couple, for research," the senators wrote.

Hatch has said he does not believe a fertilized egg is a form of life until it is implanted into a mother's womb.

His leadership on the letter to Bush brought an attack on Hatch Monday from the American Life League. Its president, Judie Brown, issued a statement saying, "Hatch's position on human embryonic stem cell research is simply inane."

She said, "When the sperm joins the egg, a separate, individual human being is created . . . Sen. Hatch has fallen into the rhetorical pit of those who wish to persuade the public that human beings — prior to implantation in their mothers' wombs — are really nothing more than matter. That is a false, deceptive and evil description based on man's selfish desires."

Brown added, "Human embryonic stem cell research is unethical. One can never do evil, even if good might come from it — and there is no shred of evidence that human embryonic stem cell research will cure or treat dreadful diseases such as Alzheimer's or multiple sclerosis."

However, the senators' letter said, "Embryonic stem cells have the potential to be used to treat and better understand deadly and disabling diseases and conditions that affect more than 100 million Americans, such as cancer, heart diseases, diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and many others."

Stem cells from early stage embryos can develop into a variety of different types of tissue and organs. However, extracting them for use in research destroys the embryos — which could develop into human beings if implanted into a womb.

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