After the president used his first-ever veto to block federal funding on stem-cell research, the issue lost some of its political saliency. Nevertheless, the broader debate remains as important as ever — the public approved several statewide measures on the research, Dems included funding as part of their 100 Hour agenda, and polls continue to show broad, bi-partisan public support.
News like this certainly won’t help the White House win the public relations fight.
The National Institutes of Health official overseeing the implementation of President Bush’s embryonic stem cell policy yesterday suggested that the controversial program is delaying cures, an unusually blunt assessment for an executive branch official.
In prepared Senate testimony, Story Landis, director of the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and interim chair of the agency’s stem cell task force, closely mirrored previous testimony from other NIH officials, who have for years been careful not to criticize the Bush policy directly, even though that policy has infuriated many scientists because of the limits it places on embryo cell work.
But under questioning, Landis spoke more plainly. When Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) asked her how the policy was affecting medical research, she said, “We are missing out on possible breakthroughs.” The ability to work on newly derived stem cell colonies — precluded from federal funding under the Bush plan — “would be incredibly important,” she added.
Landis also declared that “science works best when scientists can pursue all avenues of research. If the cure for Parkinson’s disease or juvenile diabetes lay behind one of four doors, wouldn’t you want the option to open all four doors at once instead of one door?”
Think NIH officials are happy to see a Democratic Congress again? Given that the reality-based agenda is back in vogue, can you blame them?
It’s reached the point at which the White House feels compelled to misrepresent scientific research.
As Amanda noted, the White House Domestic Policy Council (DPC) this month included research from scientists at Harvard to argue that embryonic stem cell research is unnecessary.
Unfortunately, the researchers have come forward to say the White House distorted their research.
The work that we performed and that was cited in the White House policy report is precisely the type of research that is currently being harmed by the President’s arbitrary limitation on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research. [… ]
We feel that the President’s restrictive policy has directly impeded research that provides a hope for cures for millions of Americans. […]
The White House has clearly gotten it wrong. The overwhelming consensus in the scientific and medical community is that embryonic stem cell research holds the greatest potential to cure diseases and end the suffering of millions.
So, to review, the White House is blocking potentially life-saving medical research, can’t come up with a coherent explanation why, overriding the will of Congress and the electorate, and distorting objective scientific research for political gain.
When Bush vowed to be a compassionate conservative, this, apparently, is what he meant.