White House defends stem cell decision

By Kelly Wallace
CNN Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House Sunday continued its defense of President Bush's support for limited funding of stem cell research, with top administration officials insisting the decision did not contradict Bush's pledge to protect human life, even in embryonic form.

In an op-ed piece in Sunday's New York Times, Bush defended his decision to allow federal funding for 60 existing lines, or colonies, of stem cells already taken from human embryos.

VIDEO Watch President Bush's speech on federal funding for stem cell research (Part 1) (August 9) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Bush's speech, Part 2 (August 9) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) More video     MORE STORIES Bush to allow limited stem cell funding   Adult stem cells or embryonic? Scientists differ   Reaction mixed to stem cell decision     EXTRA INFORMATION Reaction: Political, ethical, medical   In-depth: The stem cell debate     RESOURCES CNN Access: Stem cell decision may open door to lawsuits     What President Bush's decision means Bush will allow federal funding for research on 60 lines of embryonic stem cells. These lines of cells have the ability to regenerate themselves indefinitely but not all have been approved by the National Institutes of Health, which sets federal standards for research. Embryonic stem cells have the potential to turn into any other kind of cell in the body, and have been looked to as possible treatments for Alzheimer's disease and Type I diabetes.

"We do not end some lives for the medical benefit of others," the president wrote. "For me, this is a matter of conviction -- a belief that life, including early life, is biologically human, genetically distinct and valuable."

White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson echoed Bush on the weekend political talk show circuit that was dominated by the stem cell debate.

"President Bush has not compromised on his pro-life position. He believes in the sanctity of life," Card said on "Fox News Sunday."

Thompson said Bush would likely veto any legislative attempts to allow federal funding for anything more than the 60 stem cell lines he cited Thursday, insisting the president has not broken his campaign promises.

"The president said he would not use federal research dollars for the destruction of existent embryos for research. And he has not," Thompson said on CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer." "He has made that crystal clear."

The administration's public relations assault aimed to counter criticisms from religious leaders and conservative lawmakers such as Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey.

Smith, speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," said Bush's decision "legitimizes the killing of those embryos." He said the move would encourage the creation of more embryos for stem cell research, even though Bush said he would not support funding in those instances.

Meanwhile, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania, said he would capitalize on the "momentum" from Bush's speech in focusing public attention on stem cell research to push for more federal funding -- for more stem cell lines -- in Congress.

"I don't agree with his conclusion, but it has left a lot of people wondering," Specter said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "So I think we need the hearings, we need to refocus. But this issue is going to come up on our appropriations bill next month."

Democrats criticized Bush's decision as too restrictive, questioning the viability of the 60 specified stem cell lines and whether those lines would be enough to make inroads against diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

"He's sort of made a preemptive strike and set down very rigid guidelines in an area where we have many questions that remain to be answered," Sen. John Edwards, D-North Carolina, told CNN.