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American Morning
Controversy Continues Over Bush Stem Cell Decision
Aired August 13, 2001 - 09:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We move on to medical related political news. President Bush is still on his Texas vacation. His is far away from the political fallout from -- and also from Washington and over the fallout over his stem cell decision. Nevertheless, Mr. Bush is very much aware of the continuing controversy.
Our White House correspondent Kelly Wallace joins us live from Crawford, Texas -- Kelly, are they surprised by the reaction they're getting or is this what they anticipated?
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think that they anticipated that they could not please all sides, Daryn. So they know that certain groups feel that the administration went too far, other groups think the administration did not go far enough. But it was interesting this weekend, because the president and his top advisers saying that the administration was going to hold the line and only support limited embryonic stem cell research. But now, the battle is shifting to the U.S. Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): President Bush heading off to church near his Texas ranch drew a line in the sand Sunday. In an op-ed in "The New York Times," he wrote: "We do not end some lives for the medical benefit of others. For me, this is a matter of conviction."
The message reiterated by Mr. Bush's top advisers is that the president will not go any further than backing federal funding of research on stem cell already extracted from human embryos.
TOMMY THOMPSON, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: He has indicated that no federal research dollars will be used for the derivation, the destruction of any future embryos, and I think that that is a moral decision that this president has made, and he's not going to cross that.
WALLACE: But Democrats question whether 60 stem cell lines, as the administration suggests, actually exist, and whether those lines will be enough to find cure for diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), NORTH CAROLINA: I think the problem with the president's decision is that he has sort of made a preemptive strike and set down very rigid guidelines in an area where we have many questions that remain to be answered.
WALLACE: There is concern even within the president's own party, with Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter pushing a bipartisan bill allowing tax dollars for research on embryos leftover at fertility clinics.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), PENNSYLVANIA: There are 100,000 of them, and they are going to be discarded, and they have shown just enormous potential.
WALLACE: But on the other side are anti-abortion activists who say they will pressure Mr. Bush if more liberal funding passes Congress.
REP. CHRISTOPHER SMITH (R), NEW JERSEY: He has to be willing to use his veto pen if necessary if Congress were to add some kind of enlargement to this policy. I don't agree with the policy, but it can't go one inch further.
WALLACE: The president's top advisers refuse to say if he would definitely veto any bill calling for expanded research.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: Aides say they don't expect such a bill will ever make its way to Mr. Bush's desk. They also feel that the existing stem cell lines will be sufficient to allow research to go forward. And, Daryn, as for Mr. Bush, as we speak is he out on the golf course. Later, though, he will be emphasizing the working part of his vacation, signing a bill into law providing about $5.5 billion in emergency aid to framers around the country -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Kelly, just as long as you bring up a dollar figure, through all this discussion about federal funding for stem cell research I have yet to hear a number, how much and how soon it would be available.
WALLACE: Well, that's a very good point. Tommy Thompson was asked that yesterday, actually, on CNN's "LATE EDITION." He said it's hard to say, but he said that currently this year the government expects to spend about $250 million for stem cell research, all of it, he expected about $100 million, again, a ballpark figure, that would go to embryonic stem cell research. The rest would go to adult and animal research using animal and tissue from adults and animals -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Kelly Wallace, thank you so much.
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