President Bush made his long awaited decision on stem cell research derived from human embryos in a speech to the nation on August 9, 2001.

In his speech, he described this issue as “complex and difficult, . .. one of the most profound of our time. “ He clearly described the many conflicting opinions he had received from a wide variety of scientific, religious and government sources but he “kept returning to two fundamental questions: First, are these frozen embryos human life, and therefore, something precious to be protected? And second, if they’re going to be destroyed anyway, shouldn’t they be used for a greater good, for research that has the potential to save and improve other lives?”

Most pro-life organizations, including NRLC and VSHL, had urged that research involving human embryos not be funded. Prior to the speech, however, there had been widespread speculation that the President would approve funding federal research on the thousands of frozen embryos that currently exist and allegedly would be “destroyed anyway.” There was a feeling of some relief, therefore, when he announced his final decision, to allow research only on existing stem cell lines “where the life and death decision has already been made,” and not on any that would involve killing future embryos. There was also widespread agreement when he said, “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.”

President Bush also commented on cloning in his speech. “I strongly oppose human cloning, as do most Americans. We recoil at the idea of growing human beings for spare body parts, or creating life for our convenience. And while we must devote enormous energy to conquering disease, it is equally important that we pay attention to the moral concerns raised by the new frontier of human embryo stem cell research. Even the most noble ends do not justify any means.”

VSHL Communications Director Fiona Givens said, “We applaud President Bush’s decision to prevent the federal government from being a party to further destruction of human embryos for medical experiments.”

NRLC Executive Director David O’Steen commented, “While we mourn the lives of those children that were killed to derive the sixty-plus stem cell lines that currently exist, there is nothing that we, as a pro-life community or President Bush can do to restore the lives of those children. Neither President Bush nor the federal government had anything to do with the destruction of those embryos or the establishment of those cell lines. … President Bush has shown his commitment to protecting the lives that he can.”

President Bush’s decision will have no negative impact on ethical research involving stem cells derived from sources such as adult fat, blood, and bone marrow, as well as placentas and umbilical cord blood. Adult stem cells have been shown to be dramatically more effective, and have already been used to help patients.

The VSHL, instead, supports stem cell research that involves stem cells obtained from adult sources, such as blood and bone marrow, as well as placentas and umbilical cords that result from live births. Unlike embryo-destructive stem cell research, adult stem cell research has led to disease therapies that are currently being used to treat human beings in clinical applications. “An increasing number of people with disabling and chronic conditions are being helped by adult stem cell research,” stated Mrs. Givens.

According to a June International Communications Research poll, 67% of those polled prefer having their tax dollars used for stem cell research “using adult stem cells and other alternatives...” Only 18% favored research that included experiments which “require destroying human embryos.”

Published in VSHL Lifesaver, October 2001