DeGette Hopes New Stem-Cell Bill Lays Path For Future

Thu. May 8, 2008


One of the chief architects of vetoed bills to expand embryonic stem cell research hopes to use a House hearing today to squelch sentiment that recent breakthroughs with other types of stem cells defeat the need for embryonic stem cell research.

Reps. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., and Michael Castle, R-Del., plan to introduce legislation in the next month to not only overturn the president's restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, but to require the National Institutes of Health to create an ethical review board on all stem cell research, DeGette said.

Two bills that met the president's veto pen in the last few years did not include ethical mandates, though they included a sense that standards should exist.

"There is no federal ethical oversight of any of this research that's going on, either by the states, by private companies or the limited amount that's going on with federal dollars," DeGette said. "I'm shocked by that."

The prudent approach might change some minds.

"I know of at least one member who voted no on the last bill who would switch to a yes, and I haven't surveyed the new members, but I would imagine we would pick up even more votes now," DeGette said. She declined to say who the member is.

The last bill to pass Congress in June that would have lifted the president's ban on researching additional stem cell lines fell a few dozen votes short of a veto-proof margin.

"Even if we don't pass it this session of Congress, I want to be ready when we have a new president and a new Congress to pass legislation that both reverses the president's order and makes a new commitment to ethical cell-based research," DeGette said.

She pointed out all three presidential candidates voted for past bills to expand research and to override the president's veto.

In addition to Castle, she also is working with Senate allies and talks regularly with NIH.

"From my conversations, they've been receptive to these ideas," she said of the research agency. The president refuses to meet with her.

NIH Director Elias Zerhouni will appear today before the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee on embryonic stem cell research. Zerhouni has broken from the administration and supported federal funds to study additional cell lines.

"Every time there's a new discovery in some other type of research, the Bush administration and its allies say it's a substitute for embryonic stem cell research, so I really want to bring researchers in to talk about how all of this research is complementary and you can't take one type of research out of the equation." DeGette said.

She hopes to hear scientists echo that sentiment at the hearing today.

"The scientists believe we need all of the ethical research because it all complements each other, including embryonic stem cell research," she said.

by Anna Edney

Thu. May 8, 2008

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