Bush's first veto shoots down embryonic stem cell funding that could benefit Alzheimer's, Parkinsons, Diabetes & Spinal Injury

On July 19th 2006, President Bush issued the first veto of his five-year-old administration, rejecting Congress' attempt to lift funding restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research.

Even though both the Republican-controlled House and Senate passed the stem-cell legislation by comfortable margins, they did not have the two-thirds majority required to override the veto.

Speaking from the White House, Bush surrounded himself with children he said were the products of adopted frozen embryos. The President feels taxpayers should not support research on surplus embryos at fertility clinics, even if they offer the possibility of medical breakthroughs and would otherwise be disposed of, because the embryos are human beings.

Officials say about 400,000 frozen embryos are stored at fertility clinics across the United States, and while Bush praised those who adopt such embryos, the vast majority are awaiting disposal.

Embryonic stem cells are so valuable for research because, unlike adult stem cells, they can replicate themselves and turn into any human tissue. Medical researchers say the President’s decision has impeded their ability to make advances in treating conditions such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes, spinal-cord injuries and other diseases. Even some conservative Republicans criticized the veto as stalling the potential that embryonic stem cells offer.

"Even with federal funding available to encourage adoption, these 400,000 embryos will either be used for scientific research or thrown away," Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., a backer of the bill, said this week.

Opponents of Bush’s decision predict the issue could mobilize voters to penalize Republicans in upcoming elections.

"Those families who wake up every morning to face another day with a deadly disease or a disability will not forget this decision by the president to stand in the way of sound science and medical research," said Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.