The White House
President George W. Bush
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 20, 2007

Fact Sheet: Advancing Stem Cell Research While Respecting Moral Boundaries
President Bush Takes Action To Support Ethical Research, Vetoes Bill
Overturning Balanced Stem Cell Policy

      President Bush Discusses Stem Cell Veto and Executive Order
      Message to the Senate of the United States
      Executive Order: Expanding Approved Stem Cell Lines in Ethically Responsible Ways
      In Focus: Health Care

Today, President Bush Signed An Executive Order To Strengthen Our Nation's Commitment To Research On Pluripotent Stem Cells. Scientists have recently shown they have the ingenuity and skill to pursue the potential benefits of pluripotent stem cell research - research on cells that have the potential to develop into nearly all the cell types and tissues in the body - without endangering human life in the process. By expanding support for non-destructive research methods, this Executive Order will make it more likely that these exciting advances continue to unfold.

In August 2001, President Bush Announced A Policy To Advance Stem Cell Research In A Way That Is Ambitious, Ethical, And Effective. President Bush was the first president to make Federal funds available for human embryonic stem cell research - and his policy did this in ways that would not encourage the destruction of embryos.

Recent Scientific Breakthroughs Are Showing Stem Cell Science Can Progress While Respecting Moral Boundaries

There Have Been Advances In Therapies That Use Stem Cells Drawn From Adults, Children, And The Blood From Umbilical Cords - With No Harm To The Donor.

Researchers Are Now Developing Promising New Techniques That Offer The Potential To Produce Pluripotent Stem Cells - Without Having To Destroy Human Life.

The Administration Is Taking Immediate Action To Increase Our Support For These Researchers In Their Vital Work

Today, President Bush Issued An Executive Order To Strengthen Our Nation's Commitment To Research On Pluripotent Stem Cells. The Order:

President Bush Calls On Congress To Pass Legislation That Would Authorize Additional Funds For Ethical Stem Cell Research So He Can Sign It Into Law. The Senate recently passed a bill that would authorize additional Federal funding for alternative stem cell research, and the President calls on the House to pass similar legislation.

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