Bush veto threat ignored as stem cell debate begins

Ignoring a veto threat, the US House of Representatives moved today towards approving a Bill loosening President George Bush’s restrictions on stem cell research, with supporters claiming prospects were enhanced by promises that such research would offer new treatments for a host of debilitating ailments.

The floor debate was framed in starkly emotional terms, particularly by opponents of federal funding for embryonic stem cell research who liken the process to abortion because human embryos would be destroyed.