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President Bush signed H.R. 2520, the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005, to expand federal support of [I assume this means: existing lines of] embryonic stem cell research. Vice President and Mrs. Cheney, on a multi-purpose visit in Pakistan, cut short their trip so the VP could cast a tie-breaking Senate vote on deficit reduction if necessary. Welcome to Sanity Island!

WASHINGTON, DC, December 19, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Saturday, the House of Representatives voted to pass HR 2520 - the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act - written by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ). The non-controversial legislation had earlier passed the House of Representatives in May by a vote of 431-1 and was slightly altered before passage by the Senate Friday night. The bill will now be signed into law by President Bush. Umbilical cords are a rich, non-controversial source of stem cells. Currently hospitals throw millions of them away each year because the infrastructure required to properly collect and store...

A bill to support adult stem cell research may have passed in the House by a 431-1 vote, but Senate Democrats blocked it on Thursday. They prevented consideration of the bill that would provide $79 million in federal funding for the collection and storage of umbilical cord blood because they favor an embryonic stem cell research proposal. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist tried to bring up HR 2520 on Thursday, but pro-abortion Sen. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, said he only wanted to allow a vote on it if Frist would agree to a vote on HR 810. That's a...

ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON -- Congress on Friday agreed to establish a national databank of umbilical cord blood and bone marrow that would allow doctors to quickly find a match for patients who need a transplant. The Senate passed the bill by voice vote. The House passed the bill in May by a vote of 431-1. The bill will provide $79 million in federal funding to increase the number of cord blood units available for matches. The objective is 150,000 units, which would mean 90 percent of patients needing them would have a match. It also reauthorizes the national bone marrow...