In an address to the nation last evening, President Bush announced that he would not allow federal funding of stem cell research that involves the killing of any more human embryos.

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

"While VSHL regrets the demise of those human embryos used to generate the 60 stem cell lines to which President Bush referred, nothing can be done to restore the lives of those embryos," continued Ms. Givens.

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 Ms. Givens.

According to a June (June 1-5, 2001) International Communications Research poll, 67 percent of those polled prefer having their tax dollars used for stem cell research "using adult stem cells and other alternatives..." Only 18 percent favored federal support of research that included experiments which "require destroying human embryos."

Virginia Society for Human Life is the State affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee, Inc.

For the complete text of the president's remarks, see Remarks by the President on Stem Cell Research.