Pro-Life Congressmen Vow to Uphold Expected Embryonic Stem Cell Veto
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 10, 2007
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Now that the House has approved the bill that forces taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research that involves the destruction of human life, the bill heads to President Bush. The president has vowed to veto it and pro-life members of Congress have pledged to uphold his veto.
Last week, the president issued a statement following the House vote indicating he will assuredly veto the legislation.
"If this bill were to become law, American taxpayers would for the first time in our history be compelled to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos. Crossing that line would be a grave mistake. For that reason, I will veto the bill," he said.
It may be up to the pro-life members of the House of Representatives to sustain the veto and that’s something Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican, is confident will happen.
"President Bush has given us his commitment that he will veto this misguided legislation as he has done in the past. I am confident that we will once again have the numbers to sustain his veto in the House," he told LifeNews.com.
The numbers are on Smith’s side as the House was 35 votes short of the two-thirds needed to override Bush’s veto when it approved the measure on Thursday.
House Minority Leader John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said during a news conference last week that he is "very confident that we have the votes to uphold the president’s veto."
Rep. Joe Pitts also commented on the lack of votes, telling CNS News, the bill is "another example of legislation that Democrats are bringing to the floor knowing it will not become law."
Following Bush’s veto the Senate will be the first chamber to attempt to override it.
The Senate approved the bill with 63 votes, short of the two-thirds needed to override an expected veto. However, three senators who supported the bill were not present for the vote, including South Dakota Democrat Tim Johnson who was hospitalized at the time.
In addition, pro-life Sen. Craig Thomas of Wyoming recently passed away and his death will also alter the outcome and increase the odds that backers of the bill can get the two-thirds they need to override.
President Bush used the first and only veto of his presidency in turning back the first bill the Congress sent to him mandating that the American people fund the destruction of human life through embryonic stem cell research.
If Congress is unable to override President Bush’s veto, it will be the second time President Bush has protected Americans from funding the destruction of human life.
