Atala and other researchers reported Sunday that the stem cells they drew from amniotic fluid donated by pregnant women hold much the same promise as embryonic stem cells.
In a letter to sponsors of legislation up for a House vote tomorrow, Atala wrote that it was "essential that National Institutes of Health-funded researchers are able to fully pursue embryonic stem cell research as a complement to research into other forms of stem cells."
The bill, which would clear the way for federally funded embryonic research, is expected to pass but without the required two-thirds' majority required to override Bush's expected veto. Senator Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat , said he expects the same bill to reach that veto-proof threshold when it comes up in his chamber in a few weeks.
Atala's study and the letter add a dose of drama to round two of Congress' battle with President Bush over whether taxpayers should fund embryonic stem cell research. Bush and a minority of Americans say they believe that the research is immoral because the process of removing the stem cells kills the embryo.
Opponents of the legislation, which Bush vetoed last year, say Atala's study bolsters their argument that science need not advance at the expense of budding human life.
"We're talking about saving lives here," said Representative Phil Gingrey, a Georgia Republican , an obstetrician, and a staunch opponent of embryonic stem cell research. "We don't have to split the nation on this if we've got an alternative."
He won't have much luck trying to siphon support from the bill, one of its sponsors said. "We won't lose anyone who was going to support the bill," said Representative Diana DeGette, a Colorado Democrat , one of her party's vote-counters in the House. In fact, "several" lawmakers who voted against the bill in the last Congress will vote for it tomorrow, she predicted.
The research reported this week suggests that stem cells extracted harmlessly from the amniotic fluid that cushions a fetus in utero hold much the same promise for disease-fighting as embryonic stem cells. Scientists hope that someday stem cells may be used against diseases such as for Lou Gehrig's, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and cancer.
