Stem Cell Research
This article was originally published in RAJ Devices
Executive Summary
US president vetoes bill to expand federal funding for stem cell research
US president vetoes bill to expand federal funding for stem cell research
US President George W Bush has vetoed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, which would have expanded federal funding of embryonic stem cell research to include surplus embryos donated from fertility clinics1. On the same day, President Bush issued an executive order directing the Department of Health and Human Services to explore ways of deriving pluripotent stem cell lines that do not involve destroying human embryos2.
Last year, President Bush vetoed an earlier version of the legislation, and Congress was unable to gather the two-thirds majority required to override that veto3. The latest version was approved by the Senate in April 2007 and by the House of Representatives in June4,5. Representative Mike Castle (Republican - Delaware), one of the sponsors of the House bill, has announced that he and several other Republicans intend to vote to override the president's latest veto, although there are concerns that the measure lacks the necessary votes in the House6.
References
1. Message to the Senate of the United States, 20 June 2007, www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/06/20070620-5.html
2. Executive Order: Expanding Approved Stem Cell Lines in Ethically Responsible Ways, 20 June 2007, www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/06/20070620-6.html
3. The Regulatory Affairs Journal - Pharma, 2006, 17(8), 554-555
4. The Regulatory Affairs Journal - Devices, 2007, 15(3), 208
5. Representative Castle press release, 7 June 2007, www.castle.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=421
6. Representative Castle press release, 20 June 2007, www.castle.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=426