President Bush refused to alter his stance against additional areas of stem cell research and told reporters on Tuesday that he would veto any bill sent to him by Congress that attempts to do so. The bill was sponsored by Republican Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota and now has the support of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
'I made it clear to the United States Congress I took the right position, and we'll veto any bill that doesn't adhere to that stance,' Bush said during a White House meeting with eight regional newspapers. 'They have a prerogative to pass bills, and I have a prerogative to set limits on what I think is right. ... So, in any case, I respectfully disagree with Senator Coleman.'
Coleman tried to be conciliatory towards the president. 'The president has made it clear he will veto any bill put in front of him, and I respect his decision,' Coleman said on Tuesday. 'However, I believe we need to find common ground on this very important and sensitive issue.'
Mr. Bush has not vetoed any legislation in his first 4 1/2 years in office. He was adamant that this would be the first.
'I made the decision in 2001 that science was important ... and there were already some stem cell lines, in other words, the life or death decision had already been made,' Bush said Tuesday. 'Therefore, it seemed to make sense to me that since the decision had already been made, that taxpayer dollars could be used on those stem cell lines.'
Mr. Bush and some conservatives oppose stem cell research because it results in the destruction of frozen human embryos. They say it is inconsistent with their position that life begins at conception and their opposition to abortion.
Proponents of stem cell research argue that the embryos used in the process would be destroyed anyway because they are typically frozen and unused by couples who have fertility problems. In addition, they fear that the United States will fall behind in this important area of scientific research which holds out the most hope for cures to many debilitating and deadly diseases and conditions.
Many Republicans have broken with Mr. Bush on this issue including Mr. Frist, Mr. Coleman and former first lady Nancy Reagan. Mrs. Reagan hoped that stem cell research could help find cures for diseases such as Alzheimer's which took the life of her husband, former President Ronald Reagan.
It remains to be seen if there will be enough support to override a presidential veto on this issue.
