435 The Ban on Stem-Cell Research? There is none.

I didn’t know Charles Krauthammer had been in a wheelchair for 32 years. He has a bit more credibility in my eyes about drawing a moral line on complex medical research than political pundits usually have. He’s also right to point out the dishonest flailing of President Bush about “stem-cell research bans.”

“In his Aug. 7 radio address to the nation, John Kerry three times referred to "the ban" on stem-cell research instituted by President George W. Bush. What ban? Stem-cell research is legal in the U.S. and has been so since human embryonic stem cells were first isolated in 1998. There are dozens of groups studying them, including major stem-cell centers recently launched at Stanford and Harvard.

Perhaps Democrats mean a ban on federal funding for stem-cell research. But, in fact, there is no such ban. Through the Clinton years there was a ban. Not a single penny of federal money was allowed for any embryo research. In his first year in office, however, President Bush reviewed the issue and permitted the first federal funding of stem-cell research ever.“ Charles Krauthammer, Why lines must be drawn. Time Magazine.

Here’s what the President said on this issue in August 9, 2001, and if this sounds like a ban from a man who consulted with ethicists, scientists, lawyers, doctors and theologians before committing a word to paper, then you need a new dictionary, Mr. Kerry.

As a result of private research, more than 60 genetically diverse stem cell lines already exist. They were created from embryos that have already been destroyed, and they have the ability to regenerate themselves indefinitely, creating ongoing opportunities for research. I have concluded that we should allow federal funds to be used for research on these existing stem cell lines, where the life and death decision has already been made.

Leading scientists tell me research on these 60 lines has great promise that could lead to breakthrough therapies and cures. This allows us to explore the promise and potential of stem cell research without crossing a fundamental moral line, by providing taxpayer funding that would sanction or encourage further destruction of human embryos that have at least the potential for life.

I also believe that great scientific progress can be made through aggressive federal funding of research on umbilical cord placenta, adult and animal stem cells which do not involve the same moral dilemma. This year, your government will spend $250 million on this important research.