Research Enhancement Act of 2005 H.R. 810 May 26, 2005 The National Catholic Bioethics Center is strongly opposed to the decision of the U.S. House of Representatives to relax the funding restrictions imposed by President Bush in 2001 on human embryonic stem cell research. H.R. 810, which President Bush has promised to veto, will provide federal funds for the destruction of frozen embryos to create additional stem cell lines beyond those currently approved for research. Interestingly, the debate on this bill won the support of some politicians previously, or otherwise, considered to be "pro-life." This raises many questions related to the stability and breadth of support for the pro-life cause in the legislature. Some whose voting record on abortion has been consistent with their pro-life stance in the past have failed to carry over this same commitment to embryonic human life. For others, it seems that their interest in the advancement of cures for their own maladies has swayed their opinion to vote in favor of medical research with no proven success, rather than the preservation of life at its most delicate stage. Most troubling to pro-life Americans is the fact that the United States Congress has, for the first time in history, voted to override the conscience of millions of Americans by placing them is a situation of funding with their tax dollars research which they find morally repugnant. |
