House approves stem cell measure
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NewsGovernment & Politics
By Jeremy Olson | jolson@pioneerpress.com |
PUBLISHED: May 7, 2008 at 11:01 pm | UPDATED: November 13, 2015 at 1:51 am
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A bill clarifying that the University of Minnesota can use state taxpayer funds for embryonic stem cell research gained House approval Wednesday.
Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, said state law currently doesn't specifically prohibit taxpayer funding for the controversial research, but she wants to send a clear message of support to U scientists.
"It's a big positive step for the state to take affirmative action" on this issue, Kahn said.
The stem cell bill approved 71-62 by the House is somewhat different from the Senate version passed in that chamber last year. House and Senate leaders will need to resolve those differences and return the unified bill for a final vote before it reaches the governor's desk.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty has opposed unrestricted research with embryonic stem cells, which are derived through the destruction of human embryos. A spokesman said Wednesday that Pawlenty will veto Kahn's bill.
Stem cells are the so-called master cells that produce other cells in the body. While stem cells found in adult bone marrow and umbilical cord blood have already been developed into treatments, some researchers believe that embryonic stem cells have even greater potential and can provide extraordinary clues about human development.
Supporters argue that many embryos are left over from the process of in vitro fertilization and that using them for research would be preferable to discarding them.
President Bush limited federal funding in 2001 to stem cell lines that had already been created at that time. U researcher Meri Firpo said those cell lines — some of which she created — were derived with older methods and have less potential to lead to new discoveries and therapies.
In the lack of clear state guidance, the university has applied those federal restrictions to state funding for embryonic research.
Firpo works with federally approved and privately funded stem cell lines in her diabetes research.
Republican lawmakers offered amendments during Wednesday's debate that would have steered the bill toward favoring adult stem cell research. Rep. Laura Brod, R-New Prague, said the divisive political debate over stem cell policy is behind the times, because researchers are finding more and more discoveries with adult stem cells.
"We don't have to have this be a wedge issue anymore," she said. "Science has outpaced politics in this case."
Pawlenty sent a letter to the Legislature in February encouraging support for adult stem cell research, stating that it creates "ample opportunity to work toward lifesaving cures without crossing moral and ethical boundaries."
Jeremy Olson
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