RSC Policy Brief: "Destruction of Human Embryos for Research"
The Democrat leadership has scheduled S. 5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, for House floor consideration under a rule on Thursday, June 6, 2007. This bill is almost identical (except for a new provision regarding pluripotent stem cell research funding) to H.R. 3, which passed the House on January 11 of this year by a vote of 253-174.
This bill would require the federal funding of research using viable human embryos, which is currently prohibited under federal law and the President’s 2001 stem cell policy. Thus, S. 5 would provide federal funding for the destruction of human life.
History of Stem Cell Research
Adult stem cell research began roughly 40 years ago in the early 1960s. There continue to be medical and scientific breakthroughs in the adult stem cell research field today. Adult stem cells have been used in human applications for over two decades, and patients suffering from over 73 different diseases and disorders are being treated today with experimental adult stem cell treatments. In 2006, NIH spent $200 million on human non-embryonic stem cell research (adult, cord blood, etc.) and FY07 NIH funding is projected to be $200 million.
Embryonic stem cells were first successfully grown over 25 years ago, and first isolated in humans in 1998. Despite millions of dollars in the public and private sector being spent annually, embryonic stem cells have yet to yield any human clinical trials. In fact, embryonic stem cells still routinely form tumors in animals, and have yet to provide a single treatment or cure for any disease. Federal funding of embryonic stem cell research began with President Bush’s 2001 policy, which does not limit the level of NIH funding for embryonic stem cell research. In 2006, NIH spent $38 million on embryonic stem cell research, and FY07 and FY08, NIH funding is projected to be $37 million each fiscal year. (Source: Congressional Research Service, http://www.congress.gov/erp/rl/pdf/RL33540.pdf).
Legislative History of Embryonic Stem Cell Research (ESCR) H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research and Enhancement Act, originally passed the House by a vote of 238-194 on May 24, 2005, and passed the Senate by a vote of 63-37) on July 18, 2006. H.R. 810 was vetoed by President Bush on July 19, 2006 (his first presidential veto). The same day, the House failed to override the President’s veto by a vote of 235-193 (Roll Call 388). A two-thirds vote is required to override a presidential veto, thus the bill failed to receive the required 286 votes and was defeated with a 51-vote margin. Current Law Regarding Adult and Embryonic Stem Cell Research It is legal in the U.S. to conduct adult stem cell research, and this research is currently ongoing in both the public and private sector around the world.
It is legal in the U.S. to destroy and conduct research on human embryos with non-federal funds. It is also legal in the U.S. to destroy and conduct research on stem cell lines that had come from human embryos already destroyed prior to August 9, 2001 (the implementation date of the President’s federal ESCR policy).
Democrat Proposal
S. 5 requires the Secretary of HHS to “conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells ...” The bill defines as eligible for federal funding human embryonic stem cells that:
were derived from human embryos that have been donated from in vitro fertilization clinics, were created for the purposes of fertility treatment, and were in excess of the clinical need of the individuals seeking such treatment;
it was determined would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and
were donated with written informed consent and without receiving any financial or other inducements to make the donation.
In order words, this bill would require federal funding of research using human embryos (thus creating then killing them), which is currently prohibited under federal law and the President’s stem cell policy. The President’s 2001 policy did allow federal funds to be used for stem cell lines that had come from embryos already destroyed prior to his policy statement.
Conservative Concerns
Many conservatives object to federally funding embryonic stem cell research on two fronts: 1) it destroys a human life (on the basic assumption that life begins at conception and a human embryo is beyond that stage), and 2) embryonic stem cell research (which has been active for over 25 years) has not shown to be as promising as other research methods that do not require the destruction of a human embryo. For example, to date, there have been 73 different diseases treated in published clinical applications in humans using human adult stem cells (including sickle cell anemia, leukemia, spinal cord injury, Krabbe disease and others), but there have been zero (0) diseases treated in human clinical applications using embryonic stem cells. For more information on successful human clinical trials using adult stems cells, or for additional information on adult vs. embryonic stem cell research, please visit: www.stemcellresearch.org.
Fast Facts on Embryonic Stem Cell Research
The bill would override current federal funding bans and the President’s current administrative policy to require the HHS Secretary to fund the destruction of human embryos for research, including research on currently living human embryos stored in freezers at IVF clinics.
As of June 2007, no animals or human patients have been successfully treated with human embryonic stem cells (see: http://www.stemcellresearch.org/facts/treatments.htm).
In 2003, RAND released a study which found that as of April 11, 2002, nearly 400,000 human embryos have been “frozen and stored since the late 1970s.” Of the 400,000, only 2.8% (11,000 total) have been made available by their parents for research, while the “vast majority of frozen [human] embryos are designated for future attempts at pregnancy.”
S. 5 will likely lead to creating and cloning humans. Proponents of this research will not be satisfied with the 275 (at most) stem cell lines that they may be able to get from frozen embryos. They will swiftly move to the next step, human cloning – creating custom ordered embryos on which to experiment, disease-specific research cells and even personalized clones from which to grow the over-hyped cures. Senator Orrin Hatch, the sponsor of a pro-human cloning bill, referred to H.R. 810 as a critical first step, an apparent reference to a pro-cloning bill being the next step.
The end-goal of embryonic stem cell research is human cloning: Rep. Diana DeGette: “What this research does at this point is it takes somatic cells, so-called therapeutic cloning techniques, it replaces the nucleus, and it makes new cells of tissues that will cure diseases . . . . This type of research is truly the clinical extension of stem cell research. . .” 108th Congress Floor Debate on Bill to Ban Human Cloning (February 27, 2003)
“. . . somatic cell nuclear transfer, or so-called ‘therapeutic cloning ,’ is the way to take stem cell research and all of its promise from the lab to the patient . . . Somatic cell nuclear transfer gets around that problem of rejection, because the stem cells that create the organ or tissue are from the patient. As a result, the patient’s body will not recognize the organ or tissue as a foreign object” 107th Congress Floor Debate on Bill to Ban Human Cloning (July 31, 2001)
According to news reports, in FY04 NIH spent $24.6 million funding the research allowed on cell lines created from cells removed from human embryos prior to August 2001. S. 5 requires federal funding of human embryo research regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo, which would likely lead to millions of dollars in additional federal spending.
The Administration vigorously opposes passage of S. 5 and is strongly opposed to any expansion of embryonic stem cell research. A Statement of Administration Position (SAP) was released today, stating:
The Administration strongly opposes House passage of S. 5, which would use Federal taxpayer dollars to support and encourage the destruction of human life for research. The bill would compel all American taxpayers to pay for research that relies on the intentional destruction of human embryos for the derivation of stem cells, overturning the President’s policy that funds research without promoting such ongoing destruction. If S. 5 were presented to the President, he would veto the bill.
Pro-life Members support stem cell research with only one exception—research that requires destroying human life. Alternative sources of pluripotent (non-embryonic) stem cells are developing giving researchers similar cells with which to do basic research, and stem cells from non-controversial sources like umbilical cord blood have been used to treat humans afflicted with more than 70 afflictions.
Embryonic stem cell research is currently legal and receives federal taxpayer funding. Under current guidelines, the NIH spends roughly $600 million per year on stem cell research, including $40 million for research involving human embryonic stem cells and nearly $100 million for non-human embryonic stem cell research. Taxpayers are already paying their fair share for research that many find to be morally repugnant.
