WASHINGTON, May 23 (UPI) -- President Bush will not budge in opposing broader embryonic stem cell research using federal funds, the White House said Monday.
Although Bush strongly supports scientific advancement, "We also have moral and ethical obligations that we must meet as we move forward," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.
Bush, in 2001, allowed federal funding for research on some 70 then-existing stem cell lines, but barred money for research on new lines from human embryos donated by fertility clinics.
Stem cells are the building blocks for all other body cells, but taking them from an embryo kills the embryo.
It is believed research on stem cells could lead to cures for many diseases, such as Parkinson's.
Two bills are currently before Congress that would expand federal funding for stem cell research. One is aimed at research using blood-producing stem cells taken from umbilical cords.
Broader stem cell research is being conducted in the private sector, but without taxpayer dollars.
