The U.S. House of Representatives today voted 253-174 to expand federal funding of controversial embryonic stem-cell research.
The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act gained just four percentage points over last year's tally -- well short of the two-thirds needed to override a promised presidential veto.
Ramesh Ponnuru, writing for National Review Online, pointed out that "while the Democrats picked up 30 seats (in the last election), embryonic stem-cell research funding picked up only 15 votes. If the issue is so powerful, shouldn't the second number be higher than the first?"
Sponsored by Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., and co-sponsored by Michael Castle, R-Del., the bill would repeal the administration policy that limits federal funding to certain already existing lines of stem cells.
DeGette called her legislation "an attempt to lift a crippling ban on life-saving research."
In spite of his colleagues' floor speeches to the contrary, Castle said the bill was not about funding at all, but rather saving lives.
"Our scientists are being held back" he said, "by a policy that is out of date, short-sighted, arbitrary and, most of all, based on politics and not science."
But Carrie Gordon Earll, senior analyst for bioethics at Focus on the Family Action, said the opposite is true.
"This vote is an example of politics trumping both morality and science," she said. "It's never morally acceptable to destroy human life in research."
She pointed out that the process of harvesting embryonic stem cells always requires the destruction of human life. Noncontroversial adult stem cells do not.
John Boehner, R-Ohio, told the House it's wrong to force Americans to fund such research.
"Taxpayer-funded stem-cell research must be carried out in a way that's ethical and in a way the respects the sanctity of human life," he said. "Fortunately, ethical stem-cell alternatives continue to flourish in the scientific community."
While supporters argued the embryos are already marked for destruction, Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, called that argument a bait and switch.
"It will create a market for creating and cloning more human embryos for the express purpose of killing them," he said.
The measure, Perkins said, would also divert crucial funding away from adult stem-cell research and other cutting-edge studies that are producing real treatments for real people.
"I applaud those who voted against this bill and the president for his promise to veto it once again," he said. "We should stop playing politics with stem-cell research and pursue real treatments while maintaining our ethical boundaries."
(Paid for by Focus on the Family Action)
