STEM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--I am deeply disappointed that the president has decided to federally fund embryonic stem cell research on the tissue obtained from already aborted babies. I fear that this first halting step in the direction of embryonic stem cell research will build pressure to cross the important moral barrier barring the killing of more embryos to obtain their stem cells. We must always remember that these existing stem cell lines are fundamentally different than parts of a human being, such as a kidney or a heart. These stem cells are the essential, foundational building blocks of an entire human being whose life was lost before his or her stem cells were harvested.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--President Bush's decision to allow federal funding for limited embryonic stem cell research was delivered in a "statesman"-like fashion and contained much that the pro-life community can applaud, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. said on CNN's "Larry King Live" Aug. 9.

      WASHINGTON (BP)--Southern Baptist ethics specialists expressed disappointment at President Bush's decision to provide federal funds for research on stem cells already harvested from human embryos that have been destroyed.
      In a nationally televised speech Aug. 9 from his Texas ranch, Bush announced he would allow funding for research on the more than 60 lines, or groups, of existing stem cells "where the life-and-death decision has already been made." The president said this would permit stem cell research "without crossing a fundamental moral line" of funding the destruction of human embryos.

WASHINGTON (BP)--After months of deliberating, President Bush will announce his decision tonight on whether to allow federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. The announcement will come in a televised address to the nation at 9 p.m. Eastern.

WASHINGTON (BP)--A key congressional committee approved a comprehensive ban on human cloning July 24.

LONDON (BP)--If President Bush was looking to Pope John Paul II for guidance as he ponders a decision on whether to allow federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research, he could not have asked for a clearer message than the one delivered July 23.

DEERFIELD, Ill. (BP)--Words are powerful tools. They can be used as a shield or a weapon.

WASHINGTON (BP)--U.S. Sen. Bill Frist, a pro-life Republican ally of President Bush, endorsed federal funding for embryonic stem cell research July 18.

WASHINGTON (BP)--The National Institutes of Health says more research is needed to find out "which stem cells - those derived from the embryo, the fetus, or the adult" -- will work best in treating various diseases, CNSNews.com reported July 18.

      WASHINGTON (BP)--Recent reports of scientists creating human embryos or attempting to clone embryos solely for research with their stem cells, thereby destroying the early unborn babies, has stirred widespread condemnation from pro-life advocates.
      The revelations of such controversial work came on successive days. The Washington Post reported in its July 11 and 12 issues, respectively:
      -- Researchers at the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Norfolk, Va., have taken stem cells from embryos created by in vitro fertilization for experimentation. In doing so, the scientists became the first in the world to procure such cells from embryos created exclusively for research purposes, according to The Post.