We were heartened to hear Rep. Diana DeGette say she has enough bipartisan support to get an embryonic stem-cell research bill through Congress. Unfortunately, she’s not so sure about her ability to get the bill on lawmakers’ packed lame-duck dance card.
That’s a shame, since it’s a laudable measure and the need for it has been underscored by a recent adverse court ruling.
This well-vetted bill has been passed by Congress twice, but unfortunately it also was twice vetoed by President George W. Bush.
It’s important public policy because the bill would allow crucial federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, which has the potential to offer relief or even cures for many serious diseases, including Alzheimer’s, heart disease and diabetes. It could also help patients recover from spinal cord injuries and strokes.
Federal funding for this research was called into question when a federal judge issued an injunction earlier this fall, banning the government from financially supporting this work.
That injunction was put on hold by an appeals court, giving Congress breathing room to pass a bill that specifically allows federal funding for stem-cell research.
The legal question at the heart of the federal funding issue involves the meaning of the so-called Dickey- Wicker amendment, an appropriations rule that consistently has been attached to federal spending bills since 1996. The amendment does not allow federal funding for “research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed.”
During the last 14 years, administrations have figured out paths around the prohibition by not funding work that results in the destruction of an embryo, but allows federal financial support for research on the cell lines that were developed from the embryos. A federal court rejected that practice.
The bill DeGette is advocating would essentially override the court’s concerns, but it would also put into place important ethical guardrails for stem-cell research and would set reasonable regulations.
Federal lawmakers should find a way to move this important legislation forward, and in the process give hope to Americans who are suffering from serious illness and disease.
