Statement of Administration Policy: S. 30 - Hope Offered through Principled and Ethical Stem Cell Research Act

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

(Senate)
(Sens. Coleman (R) MN and Isakson (R) GA)

The Administration strongly supports Senate passage of S. 30, a bill to support and intensify research into techniques of deriving pluripotent stem cells without harming or destroying human embryos.

Pluripotent stem cells are cells that can be differentiated into nearly all the cell types in the human body. At present, the means of obtaining such cells involve the destruction or endangerment of living human embryos, raising serious moral concerns. Ongoing research is investigating whether stem cells derived from the tissues of donors, umbilical cord blood, amniotic fluid, placentas, and other non-embryonic sources may be pluripotent. Numerous techniques are being explored by researchers, and significant scientific advances have been reported in the past few years.

This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to support the use and further development of techniques for producing pluripotent cells like those derived from human embryos, but without harming or destroying the embryos. Research using pluripotent stem cells is still at a very early stage, and it will be years before researchers know how much promise lies in therapeutic applications. This early stage is precisely when it is most important to develop ethically responsible techniques, so that the potential of pluripotent stem cells can be explored without violating human dignity and life.

This bill also directs the Department, under contract with the Institute of Medicine, to study and recommend the optimal structure for an amniotic and placental stem cell bank. While research in this area is still developing, recent publications suggest that a new and readily available source of pluripotent stem cells may exist in the amniotic fluid that cushions babies in the womb. The Administration supports further investigation in this area.

The Administration does not believe science and ethics need be at odds. Scientists have shown they have the ingenuity and skill to pursue the potential benefits of stem cell research without endangering nascent human life in the process. By seeking intensified support for nondestructive alternatives, we believe we can advance medical research in valuable ways while respecting ethical boundaries that are vital to millions of American taxpayers.