Bush to stand firm on limited stem cell research

US President George W Bush will stand by his decision to limit federal funding for embryonic stem cell research regardless of what scientific breakthroughs may occur, two administration officials say.

As Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson and White House chief of staff Andrew Card went on television yesterday to discuss Bush’s decision, a leading researcher and a Republican senator questioned whether it would slow the race for cures for Alzheimer’s and other diseases.