Senate approves stem cell bill

The Democrat-led Senate's passage Wednesday of legislation seeking to allow federal funding for cutting-edge embryonic stem cell research sets up another fight with President Bush, who has vowed to veto the bill just as he did in July.

Proponents of the legislation say it is necessary even though a growing number of states led by California are undertaking state-funded research to make up for the federal government's Bush-ordered absence from almost all embryonic stem cell research. They said another presidential veto won't end their effort, although they remain shy of the votes in the Senate and House needed to override the veto.

Did anyone expect this wouldn't happen with the recent elections? The House and Senate are very vocal about the lives being lost in a certain part of the world...yet our legislators are more than willing to continue the slaugher of embryo's (potencial babies).

The argument is "these are existing lines only".

Yah right.

Does anyone honestly believe that it will end there?

The 63 votes in support on Wednesday included 15 Republican senators, but didn't include three Democratic backers who were absent. Still, the 66 backers are one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a presidential veto.

The House passed an almost identical stem cell bill 253-174 in January as part of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's initial "Six for '06'' legislative drive -- up from 235 in 2006, but far short of the 290 votes needed to overturn a presidential veto.

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