Hare criticizes Bush for stem cell veto
Says move ignores science, public sentiment
Thursday, June 21, 2007
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Phil Hare, D-Rock Island, said President Bush's veto of a bill expanding federal funding for stem cell research is a "slap in the face" to the man he replaced as representative of the 17th District."President Bush's veto is a slap in the face to my good friend Lane Evans and the millions of other Americans suffering from potentially curable diseases," Hare said in statement released Wednesday afternoon.
In April, the U.S. Senate passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. The House of Representatives followed suit two weeks ago despite Bush's threat of a veto.
The president followed through on that threat Wednesday saying, "America is also a nation founded on the principle that all human life is sacred. And our conscience calls us to pursue the possibilities of science in a manner that respects human dignity and upholds our moral values."
The stem cells are retrieved from human embryos, prompting Bush's mention of the sanctity of human life.
But Hare said Bush is ignoring science and the will of a majority of Americans.
"In choosing to veto this legislation, the president has sided with a small group of ideological extremists over the objections of a majority of the American people, including former first lady Nancy Reagan and Republican Senator Orrin Hatch," he said in the statement. "He is also thumbing his nose at the scientific community. Forty Nobel Prize winners believe stem cell research can soon lead to the treatment and cures for a number of conditions, including cancer, leukemia, diabetes, Alzheimer's, spinal cord injuries and Parkinson's disease."
Evans was forced to retire due to the effects of Parkinson's disease late last year.
"Today's veto leaves me both sad for those Americans whose suffering must continue and determined to continue this important fight," Hare's statement concludes.
Hare calls on members of Congress to vote to override the veto.
