Bush cites 'promise' and 'peril,' allows existing-embryo research

Anne E. Kornblut, and Mary Leonard, Globe Staff, 8/10/2001

Dr. Michael West, the head of Advanced Cell Technology, is driven by a mythical goal: to help humans live forever. (Globe Staff Photo / Tom Landers) Profile: Dr. Michael West  RELATED STORIES Congress likely to renew debate  FROM THE ARCHIVES Coverage of Advanced Cell Technology and human embryo research from The Boston Globe: NOVEMBER 23, 2001 Cows cloned by Worcester firm reported to be growing normally AUGUST 11, 2001 Stem cell grants could begin in Jan. AUGUST 10, 2001 Bush issues a limited OK on stem-cell funds JULY 26, 2001 Patent hints how firm may farm human tissue JULY 13, 2001 Worcester firm aims to clone human cells MARCH 18, 2001 Focus: How can cloning research ever be banned?  RESOURCES Text of Bush decision Highlights of Bush's decision Public opinion on stem cells Ways of cultivating stem cells Definitions of stem cell terms Stem cell FAQ  ON THE WEB Companies doing embryonic stem cell research: Advanced Cell Technology Worcester www.advancedcell.com Geron Inc. Menlo Park, Calif. www.geron.com Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine Norfolk, Va. www.jonesinstitute.org Government sites: Dept. of Health & Human Services www.hhs.gov National Institutes of Health www.nih.gov

RAWFORD, Texas - President Bush announced last night that he will allow the federal government to fund limited research on stem cells from human embryos, a decision that consumed months of struggle over the value of scientific progress versus human life.

Interrupting a vacation at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, Bush made a rare appearance on national television to announce what aides and interest groups on both sides of the issue said was perhaps the most important, wrenching, and politically sensitive decision of his young presidency.

In his brief remarks, Bush described the announcement as the product of long, personal consideration.

"Embryonic stem-cell research offers both great promise and great peril, so I have decided we must proceed with great care," the president said. "As we go forward, I hope we will always be guided by both intellect and heart, by both our capabilities and our conscience."

Technically, the move is consistent with the exact wording of Bush's campaign pledge: He has long said he opposes funding for research that involves the destruction of embryos. Under the policy unveiled last night, scientists will be able to work only on cells from embryos that have already been destroyed, not on embryos now frozen in fertility clinics. Bush described such work as morally permissible because in those cases, "the life-and-death decision has already been made."

"This allows us to explore the promise and potential of stem-cell research without crossing a fundamental moral line," Bush said. "I have made this decision with great care, and I pray it is the right one."

But the decision was certain to anger conservative Republicans who believe that life begins at conception and that by permitting research on early embryos, the government will endorse the destruction of a life.

Numerous scientists and members of Congress, who vigorously lobbied the White House and made the potential for curing disease a national campaign for stem-cell research, embraced the news, praising the once-reluctant president for taking the United States into a new scientific era.

Robert Lanza, vice president of medical and scientific development at Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, called Bush's decision "an important milestone in medical history."

"Up until now there was this black cloud that lingered over one of the most promising areas of biomedical research this century," said Lanza, whose company has invested in stem-cell research. "This decision is going to spur a medical revolution as important as antibiotics and vaccines."

Though previous reports said that approximately 30 stem-cell "lines" currently exist, Bush last night said the number is more than double that amount. A senior administration official said the National Institutes of Health last week informed the White House that some 60 stem-cell lines had been located around the world, with only about a half-dozen in the United States.

Stem cells, which are culled from week-old human embryos and can grow and differentiate into organs and tissue, show promise in treating many serious conditions, including diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and heart disease. Bush was lobbied relentlessly by groups and researchers who believe that the potential for curing or treating grave conditions makes it imperative that science move forward.

Yet the pressure was equally intense from religious conservatives and antiabortion activists who maintain that embroyo research destroys a human life. Last month, Pope John Paul II warned Bush in Rome against the "evils" of creating human embryos for research.

Administration officials, embarking on a public relations blitz, dismissed suggestions that Bush had sought a political compromise between the two sides - or that he had outright broken a campaign pledge. A senior administration official said the decision was simply "a solution - a solution that he has obviously spent quite a bit of time thinking about."

What reportedly made it difficult for the president was balancing his own opposition to abortion against the personal and passionate pleas from those whose loved ones suffer from disease.

"I'm a strong supporter of science and technology, and believe they have the potential for incredible good - to improve lives, to save lives, to conquer disease," Bush said.

At the same time, he continued, "I also believe human life is a sacred gift from our creator. I worry about a culture that devalues life, and believe as your president I have an important obligation to foster and encourage respect for life in America and throughout the world."

Several other Republicans, including Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, joined with a majority of Democrats who have called for stem-cell research to go forward on frozen embryos that are stored in fertility clinics and likely to be destroyed.

But Gary Bauer, the social conservative who opposed Bush for the GOP nomination last year, warned, "If he allows this to go forward, this will be the social issue equivalent of the previous President Bush violating his tax pledge."

In February, Bush ordered a review of guidelines put in place by the Clinton administration. The guidelines said the source of research stem cells must be frozen embryos that were left over from fertility treatments and were to be discarded with the patient's consent. The policy prohibited federal money from being spent on the process that separated the stem cell from the embryo, thus destroying the embryo.

Last night, White House officials described another requirement: The cells must have been derived without any financial incentive for the donor.

In April, the Bush administration canceled the first meeting of the NIH committee that was to review applications from scientists seeking funds for stem-cell research.

He had obvious political implications to consider: Bush received the overwhelming support of evangelical Christians in the last election, and he made special efforts to woo Catholic voters. At the same time, Bush is aware that he needs to boost his support among suburban women, who, more than men, support federally funding the research, according to recent polls.

In an apparent effort to calm the concerns of stem-cell research opponents, Bush also named Leon Kass, a conservative University of Chicago bioethicist, head of a presidential commission to monitor the progress of the research.