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Thursday, 20 July 2006 |
Source: The Desert Sun
By: Diana Marrero, Benjamin Spillman and Jake Henshaw
WASHINGTON - Rep. Mary Bono vowed to continue fighting for stem cell research Wednesday, shortly after President Bush vetoed legislation that would have loosened limitations on federal money for the research.
"I disagree wholeheartedly with the president on this," said Bono, who co-sponsored the bill. "I'm a staunch proponent of stem cell research."
But Bono, R-Palm Springs, said Bush's actions would not keep the research from moving forward and that the veto would not have a big impact on her constituents back home. California voters passed a $3 billion stem cell research initiative in 2004, although lawsuits have delayed the law's kickoff.
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has been unable to issue the $3 billion in bonds approved by voters in 2004 for stem cell research because of a lawsuit.
In April an Alameda County superior court judge ruled that the proposition creating the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine was constitutional and that the agency functions like other state agencies, said Nicole Pagano, a spokeswoman for the institute.
That decision has been appealed by critics of the institute and is expected to take another year to be resolved, Pagano said.
But state finance officials have arranged for up to $200 million in temporary financing, of which $12 million so far has gone out as training grants for what Pagano said is "the next generation of stem cell researchers."
Another $30 million also may go out soon, she said. She added that some universities also are receiving or dedicating other funds to begin setting up centers for such future research.
Most scientists now conducting stem cell research are using private funding.
At the Institute of Critical Care in Rancho Mirage, doctors will continue their research unhindered by the veto.
Dr. Wanchun Tang said medical research at the center uses bone marrow, not embryonic, stem cells.
"Obviously, the way to go is to use alternatives rather than embryonic stem cells," Tang said of government-imposed restrictions.
Tang, a cardiologist, said bone marrow stem cells are more practical than embryonic ones for the heart research at the institute.
His research includes work on improving the survival rate for people in the days following resuscitation by CPR.
"If you infuse some new cells into the heart, obviously they are going to improve the force of contraction," Tang said. "I still prefer bone marrow stem cells."
The Weil Institute of Critical Care Medicine in Rancho Mirage conducts research using bone marrow stem cells, but institute president Max Harry Weil is aware of the benefits of using embryotic stem cells and thinks they will be used in the future, he said.
At the same time, he understands the ethical issue involved in using stem cells.
"Where as a physician and a scientist I do not agree with (President Bush's veto)," Weil said, " I understand there are major religious and ethical by-products of the discussion."
Other countries are already taking advantage of what stem cells have to offer, he said.
"Even if we don't legalize it, it will go - and already has gone - to Europe," Weil said. "Some of the finest work in stem cells is going on in China."
Bono was one of 50 Republicans in the House who voted for the legislation last year that passed the House on a 238-194 vote. Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, also supported that bill.
President Bush cut off federal funding for similar research shortly after he took office in 2001. The federal government, however, continues to provide some funds for research to stem cells created before Aug. 9, 2001.
"The logic is flawed to me," Bono said.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 24 July 2006 )
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