The U.S. Senate is scheduled today to begin debate on three bills that could determine the limits of human stem cell research allowed in the United States for years to come. One would virtually kill further research, another would allow it using cells from non-human embryos, and yet a third, already passed by the House, would allow it using human stem cells donated from in vitro fertilization clinics, but never implanted in a woman. The three stem cell bills before the Senate are:
- The Fetus Farming Prohibition Act of 2006 ( S. 3504): Banning practically all stem cell research using cells harvested from human embryos or fetuses, this bill would prohibit any person or entity involved in interstate commerce from: (1) soliciting or knowingly acquiring, receiving, or accepting a donation of human fetal tissue knowing that a human pregnancy was deliberately initiated to provide such tissue; or (2) knowingly acquiring, receiving, or accepting tissue or cells obtained from a human embryo or fetus that was gestated in the uterus of a nonhuman animal. The bill has not been considered by the House.
- The Alternative Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapies Enhancement Act (S. 2754): Proposing an alternative to the use of stem cells from human embryos or fetuses, this bill would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop techniques for the isolation, derivation, production, or testing of stem cells that are capable of producing all or almost all of the cell types of the developing body and may result in improved understanding of treatments for diseases and other adverse health conditions, but are not derived from a human embryo. This bill has been endorsed by the President's Council on Bioethics. The bill has not been considered by the House.
- The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 (H.R. 810): Passed by the House in a 238 - 194 vote, this bill would promote stem cell research using cells from human embryos or fetuses by requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo, provided such embryos: (1) have been donated from in vitro fertilization clinics; (2) were created for the purposes of fertility treatment; (3) were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment and would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded (as determined in consultation with the individuals seeking fertility treatment), and (4) were donated by such individuals with written informed consent and without any financial or other inducements. President Bush has vowed to veto this bill, if passed by the Senate.
Should President Bush veto H.R. 810, it would be the first veto of his presidency. Congress could override his veto by reconsidering the bill and passing it by a 2/3 majority in both chambers: 290 votes in the House and 67 votes in the Senate.
