Kerry accuses Bush of blocking stem cell research

DEMOCRATIC challenger John Kerry yesterday broadened his attack on President George W Bush to include stem cell research when he accused his rival of ignoring science that could offer millions of sick Americans a chance at a cure.

Campaigning in New Hampshire alongside actor and activist Michael J Fox, who has Parkinson's disease, the Massachusetts senator said if elected he would remove Mr Bush's restrictions on using federal money for stem cell research and boost funding.

Stem cells are unprogrammed master cells that can give rise to various cells and tissues. Scientists believe that while the cells could lead to cures for ailments like Parkinson's and spinal cord injuries, such advances would be years and perhaps decades away.

Citing ethical concerns, the Bush administration in 2001 sharply limited federal spending on research involving stem cells taken from human embryos.

"The hard truth is that when it comes to stem cell research, this president is making the wrong choice to sacrifice science for extreme right-wing ideology," Mr Kerry said.

"President Bush just doesn't get it. Faced with the facts, he just turns away," Mr Kerry said. "Time and again, he's proven that he's stubborn, out of touch, unwilling to change, unwilling to change course."

Mr Kerry's campaign released a new television ad devoted to stem cell research that will air in battleground states. In the 30-second spot, Mr Kerry says it is time to lift political barriers to the research and that "millions of lives" are at stake.

Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt called Mr Kerry's attack "baseless" and "dishonest", noting that there is no ban on stem cell research in America and that Mr Bush was the first president to federally fund stem cell research albeit confining it to a few dozen existing lines.

Mr Kerry, however, noted that many of the stem cell lines available for federal research money have no scientific value or have been polluted by mouse cells.