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For
immediate release: Thursday, August 9, 2001
For further information:
Suzanne Stanmeyer (202) 626-8825
NATIONAL
RIGHT TO LIFE APPLAUDS PRESIDENT'S DECISION ON EMBRYO-DESTRUCTIVE
STEM CELL RESEARCH
In
an address to the nation this evening, President Bush announced
that he would not allow federal funding of stem cell research that
involves the killing of any more human embryos.
"We
are delighted that President Bush's decision prevents the federal
government from becoming a party to any further killing of human
embryos for medical experimentation," stated Laura Echevarria,
director of Media Relations for the National Right to Life Committee.
"While
National Right to Life mourns the loss of life for those embryos
from whom stem cell lines have already been derived, nothing the
National Right to Life Committee or President Bush can do can restore
the lives of those embryos who have already died," stated Ms.
Echevarria.
President
Bush's decision will have no negative impact on ethical research
involving stem cells derived from sources such as adult fat, blood,
and bone marrow, as well as placentas and umbilical cord blood.
Adult stem cells have been shown to be dramatically more effective,
and have already been used to help patients.
"More
and more people with disabling and chronic conditions are being
helped by adult stem cell research," stated Ms. Echevarria.
According
to a June (June 1-5, 2001) International Communications Research
poll, 67 percent of those polled prefer having their tax dollars
used for stem cell research "using adult stem cells and other
alternatives..." Only 18 percent favored federal support of
research that included experiments which "require destroying
human embryos."
Moreover,
instead of destroying human embryos through medical research, they
may be adopted by parents. Indeed the demand for their adoption
exceeds the number of embryos who could be adopted.
"We
strongly commend the President's strong opposition to all human
cloning and to the special creation of human embryos for research,"
said NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson.
Last
month a Massachusetts firm, Advanced Cell Technology, announced
that it will soon begin attempting to create cloned human embryos
for the purpose of harvesting their stem cells or using them in
other lethal research (a practice referred to by the bio-tech industry
as "therapeutic cloning"). On July 31, the House of Representatives
voted to ban all human cloning, including the creation of cloned
embryos, 265-162. The legislation is now awaiting action in the
Senate. President Bush has endorsed the bill.
"The
Senate must act immediately to prevent the start-up of cloned human
embryo farms in the United States," Johnson said.
For
further information on these issues, see the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org/Killing_Embryos/Index.html.
Other
links:
Indiana
Right To Life Response
Text of President Bush's Message
More information
on stem cell research
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How
Did They Vote?
