July 20, 2001
Stem Cell Debate Rages on Capitol Hill; NIH Releases Report
The debate in Congress over the use of federal funding to support research using embryonic stem cells continued to roil at a pair of hearings on July 17 and 18. Adding to the debate, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) July 18 released a long-awaited report recommending the federal government proceed with funding for research on both embryonic and adult stem cells.
At an emotional hearing on July 17 before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources, patient advocates seeking federal funding for embryonic stem cell research squared off against parents of children born from frozen embryos that were adopted from fertility clinics. The hearing was preceded by a press briefing organized by Reps. Connie Morella (R-Md.) and Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) where a bipartisan group of senators and representatives joined with patient advocates to urge President Bush to endorse the NIH stem cell guidelines.
On the following day, the NIH publicly released its report on the scientific potential of stem cell research at a hearing before the Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee. The report, which was requested by Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson and based on a review of more than 1,200 scientific papers and interviews with over 50 scientists performing stem cell research, notes that both adult and embryonic stem cells show promise for research, but at present, embryonic stem cells offer greater possibilities related to their versatility, the ability to produce pure cell lines, and the potential to reproduce indefinitely in culture.
Also at the July 18 hearing, Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), the Senate's only doctor, announced his support for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. However, Sen. Frist's support is contingent on implementation of several ethical principles, some of which go beyond the NIH's proposed guidelines.
Information: Tony Mazzaschi, AAMC Division of Biomedical and Health Sciences Research, 202-828-0059, or Dave Moore, AAMC Office of Governmental Relations, 202-828-0525.
