WASHINGTON, June 7 (UPI) -- A bi-partisan group of 58 Senators sent a letter to President Bush Monday urging him to revise his policy limiting research on human embryonic stem cells.
The letter, which was spearheaded by Sens. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., comes on the heels of a similar letter sent to Bush in April by more than 200 House members.
Under Bush's policy, issued August, 2001, federal funds can only be used for conducting research with approved embryonic stem cell lines. However, most of these lines are either unavailable or unsuitable for research. Embryonic stem cells are valued because they can give rise to any tissue in the body and thus may hold the potential to yield cures for diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson's.
Critics of Bush's policy have argued that it is restricting research and delaying advances that could lead to life-saving therapies. New stem cell lines developed with private funding appear to offer advantages over the Bush-approved lines, but these readily available lines are not eligible for federal funding.
