U.S. quietly OKs fetal stem cell work - Bush allows funding despite federal limits on embryo use

Chicago Tribune ^ | July 7, 2002 | By Jeremy Manier

[Keyes For President]

The Bush administration has approved the first federally funded project using stem cells obtained from fetuses aborted up to eight weeks after conception, expanding the scientific promise of stem cell research and complicating the ethics debate that surrounds it.

[Bandolier]

When this bill was passed, in 1993, how much money, in dollars, did it specify was to be spent in the year 2002?

[Amelia]

I'm still wondering if the Clinton-appointed acting director of NIH didn't approve this on her last day to embarrass the Bush administration.

It WAS approved on her last day as acting director; her motivation is harder to discern. What do you think?

[Satadru]

This is more frustrating than I can express. I hope it will be clear if you read it slowly.

This is how the federal government works. Every agency of the different cabinet departments gets a spending budget. In this case HHS earmarks a certain budget for NIH. At the time the budget is done, it specifies how much money is available for what kind of project. President Bush could have told Secretary Thompson, that he will not allocate any money for embryonic stem-cell research if the cells come from aborted tissues. Under this fictitous law, a President cannot cut off funding, but it does not say that a President must fund. If this kind of funding has been going on for years, then there is no point of this Sunday front page article. Obviously, this is something new, which the President could have avoided during the budget process.

If the President was really serious about this issue, he could have gone to the local circuit court and ask for an injunction. He didn't, and that proves that he is indifferent in this matter.

[Keyes For President]

I wouldn't put anything past a Clinton appointee. Surely the timing of this is suspicious, to say the least.

What I find more disturbing is the law that apparently was passed in '93 preventing any future President from refusing to fund fetal stem cell research. I can't believe this law has been on the books for so long and I've only heard about it now! Something has to be done to change this law.

Pro-lifers have to be more vigilant so these kinds of things stop slipping in under the radar.

[Keyes For President]

Under this fictitous law, a President cannot cut off funding, but it does not say that a President must fund.

That's an interesting take on it. I wonder what would have happened if the President decided to force the issue.

[exodus]

To: Inspector Harry Callahan

HARRY!!!!!!!!!

# 306 by diotima

*************************

That was my reaction too!!!!

We love ya, Harry Callahan.

Welcome back.

[Amelia]

Perhaps you should read #275. It's not clear to me that the President could have stopped the funding without vetoing the entire budget, if then.

From reading the article, it appears to me that the grant was given by the NIH, which was still headed by a Clinton appointee since President Bush's appointee was not approved by the Senate until May 2 of this year. It also appears to me that the President was not notified of the grant until after it had been approved.

It looks as though this is something Congress needs to change.

[FreeReign]

President Bush could have told Secretary Thompson, that he will not allocate any money for embryonic stem-cell research if the cells come from aborted tissues. Under this fictitous law, a President cannot cut off funding, but it does not say that a President must fund.

The funding for this does not come from the presidents discretionary HHS budget.

[MissAmericanPie]

The FY 2002 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill (H.R. 3061) still contains the Dickey Amendment but includes report language authorizing President Bush’s decision, permitting federally-funded research on embryonic stem cell lines created before August 9. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) plans to push legislation (likely S. 723) in February or March that will go beyond the President’s guidelines.

H.R. 3061 was signed by Pres. Bush, allowing funding for SCR. This is a bill allowing for Federal Funding towards experiments on Stem Cells gleaned from fetuses that had been killed.

But you keep right on shoveling sand on that pile there in the cat box, maybe it will stop stinking.

[Don Joe]

"Name one medicine or life-saving chemical that has been derrived from fetal stem-cell research."

Sure, no problemo. The stuff they inject into the brains of Parkensons disease victims.

What's that you say? It doesn't really benefit them? In fact, it makes their condition worse?

So what? Big deal! Reality has nothing to do with agendas. Reality aside, that stuff is trumpeted far and wide as being an invaluable and irreplacable life-saving treatment.

It's not about treating parkensons patients. It's about keeping abortion legal, and profitable. And in the final analysis, it's in the same league as "Jewskin lampshades". ("Our researchers tell us that there is no viable replacement for the Jewskin lampshade. Any alternatives block too much light, transmit dangerous UV rays which cause blindness and cancer, and risk fire damage. It's imperative that we continue to allocate reichmarks to further study the unique qualities that only Jewskin can offer.")

(In the cynical parable above, it's not about "researching Jewskin", it's about keeping deathcamps legal.)

[Sandy]

Fetal stem cell research began before GW became president. That's the funding that he can't block.

That's not really accurate. What the President can't do is prohibit the HHS Dept. from supporting "research on the transplantation of human fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes."

(I haven't read this entire thread yet, so I'm just assuming that no one's bothered to correct you. Pardon me if this has already been pointed out.)

[Sandy]

You wouldn't reckon there was a reason behind not posting the article in it's entireity would you?

FYI, we're not allowed to post full-text Tribune articles. CLICK

[Kobyashi1942]

That's not how it works. There should be an effort made, however, to have this law changed and hopefully our pro-life elected officials will attempt to do just that.

What do you mean,"That's not how it works?". And you voted for Alan Keyes? Clinton made the Republican congress his bitch for 6 years with his vetoes and executive orders, yet Senor Bush has yet to even issue ONE LITTLE VETO. The people who populate FR have become so infected with political correctness that I'm going to vomit.

[rdf]

I'm going to bed.

Maybe tomorrow we can make sense of all this.

Cheers, and zzzz,

Richard F.

[Satadru]

Bogus. First President Bush had to authorize the budget. Congress just does not allocate money. The President submits a budget and then Congress adds, multiplies, etc. Bush had to authorize the funding first before the money can be doled out by NIH. No matter who heads the agency, it is upto the President to authorize funding.

[rdavis84]

"He did not say whether he would move to block federal research funding an act that many scientists say could stop promising research into therapies for numerous diseases. Aides said afterward he was signaling his intent to do so."

Don't you just hate whe a Driver, or even President for that matter, signals a Right Turn, but then turns Left? ;-)

[rightwing2]

Yet more proof that Bush is not committed to the pro-life cause. This and Bush's other betryals of the conservative cause are why I have decided to support Alan Keyes for President in 2004!

[Mudboy Slim]

"No one ever thought to manufacture Jews for the purpose of killing them. We're headed that way."

I disagree...there is certainly potential for this country to blindly stumble down that path, but it is issues such as this that can be used to educate the Sheeple and turn public opinion. Dubyuh's on record as being against embyonic stem cell research...now, it's time to make the elimination of fetal stem cell research a reality. Continuing to trash the Bush Administration doesn't assist our cause, which should be the elimination of this ghastly practice.

FReegards...MUD

[Clara Lou]

You curiously failed to remember you stated that the President could not write a bill, when he in fact can, anyone can do this.
You crack me up. Every time I posted on the matter the point was that the President cannot "introduce" legislation, as the poster I was speaking to suggested. I said that repeatedly. I see that in one-- exactly one--spot I said "create"-- and it was part of an overall post. I never said "write." Leave it to you to deliberately miss my point to make one of your own. Leave it to you to write a complete volume when a few words will do. Now, let me state my point one more time for the record: The President of the United States cannot introduce legislation. Is that crystal clear?
I respect the fact that you are intelligent. It's just that, at this point, you display so many other annoying qualities that detract.

I think this exchange should about do it for us this week.

[Clara Lou]

Well, thank you for the correction. I see, though, that my statement "that's funding he can't block" was correct.