Senate defies Bush over stem-cell research

The US Senate has voted to ease restrictions on government-funded embryonic stem-cell research, ignoring President George Bush’s threat of a second veto on legislation designed to lead to new medical treatments.

The 63-34 vote was shy of the margin that would be needed to overturn the president’s veto, despite gains made by supporters in last autumn’s elections.

“Not every day do we have the opportunity to vote to heal the sick,” said Democrat Claire McCaskill, who is a senator for less than 100 days following a tough 2006 campaign in which the stem-cell controversy played a prominent role.

“We’re going to use federal money, indirectly or directly, to destroy embryos,” countered Republican Senator Tom Coburn, echoing Bush’s argument against the legislation.

Coburn said claims of imminent scientific breakthroughs from embryonic stem cell research are unsubstantiated, and adult stem cells already have been shown to be useful in a variety of cases.

The House of Representatives, which passed similar legislation this year, is expected to adopt the Senate’s version in the next few weeks.

Speaking before the vote, however, a White House spokeswoman said the president would veto the proposed bill because it “crosses a moral line that would use taxpayer dollars to destroy human embryos”.

Bush imposed restrictions on spending government money on stem-cell research when he came to power in 2001.