President Bush vetoes stem cell research again

US President George W Bush has used his veto power for only the third time since his inauguration in 2001, blocking legislation that would have authorized more federal funds for human embryonic stem cell research. It is the second time the Republican President has vetoed a stem cell bill and the decision was widely expected once the proposal failed to obtain the necessary two-thirds majority in the Senate (Marketletter April 16).

At present, federal government funding is prohibited for human embryonic stem cell lines created on or after August 9, 2001. The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 (S5) would have extended funding to human embryos originally created for fertility treatments and donated by patients, the Washington Post reports.

In other news, the Los Angeles Times reports that President Bush has issued an executive order which instructs the National Institutes of Health to research on stem cells "derived without creating a human embryo for research purposes or destroying, discarding or subjecting to harm a human embryo or fetus."