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Washington, DC – This evening Congressman Bill Shuster will vote in support of President George Bush’s veto of H.R. 810, a bill that would allow federal funding to be used on stem cell research that destroys living human embryos. Researchers would be encouraged, under this bill, to damage embryos for use in labs.
"This is a bill that would allow taxpayer dollars to be used on research that encourages the destruction of living human embryos in the name of exploration," said Shuster. "This does not prohibit stem cell research, as many pro-abortion activists would like you to believe. In fact, I supported legislation this week that will explore new ways to perform stem cell research so that life is protected."
An alternative stem cell bill was supported by Congressman Shuster yesterday. S. 2754 would encourage research into ways to obtain stem cells without destroying embryos. This bill received broad support with 273 votes in favor, but has to be reconsidered because liberal Democrats used a procedural mechanism to slow its passage.
"Stem cell research could save and improve thousands of lives," added Shuster. "But it should be done ethically and in a manner that does not destroy human life. We should focus funding on the stable and proven methods, such as collecting adult stem cells and umbilical stem cells."
H.R. 810 passed the House of Representatives in May 2005, passed the U.S. Senate this week and was vetoed by President Bush this afternoon. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on overriding the veto this evening, but there does not appear to be sufficient support, which will effectively stop the legislation from becoming law. |
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