by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 4, 2005
Washington,
DC (LifeNews.com) -- One day after President Bush reconfirmed his
strong opposition to scientific research that destroys human life, a
Bush administration official said Thursday that the president plans
to pursue stricter limits on human embryo research.
The Bush administration representative told Reuters that the White House would pursue limits on embryo research conducted by "rogue scientists."
According to Reuters, the unnamed Bush spokeswoman mentioned an experiment conducted by Dr. Norbert Gleicher of the Chicago-based Foundation for Reproductive Medicine. Gleicher injected male cells into female embryos.
"This would prohibit that type of experimentation as well," the official told the British news service.
President Bush also plans to unveil a more detailed plan on bioethics issues in the near future, the Bush official said.
In addition, confirming Bush's State of the Union address, the official said the president will not compromise on his stem cell research policy.
In August 2001, President Bush unveiled his policy of prohibiting any taxpayer funding of new embryonic stem cell research because it destroys days-old unborn children.
Instead, the Bush administration has spend more than $190 million on research involving adult stem cells, considered more ethical because lives are not destroyed. That kind of research has already produced dozens of treatments and cures while embryonic stem cell research has yet to cure a single patient.
During his State of the Union address, President Bush reemphasized his commitment to a pro-life approach on the issues of human cloning and stem cell research.
While expressing his support for moving science
forward, the president said he would not advance research by destroying
human life in the process.
"Because a society is measured by how it treats the weak and vulnerable,
we must strive to build a culture of life," the president explained.
"Medical research can help us reach that goal, by developing treatments and cures that save lives and help people overcome disabilities, and I thank Congress for doubling the funding of the National Institutes of Health," Bush said.
"To build a culture of life, we must also
ensure that scientific advances always serve human dignity, not take
advantage of some lives for the benefit of others," the president
cautioned.
