Stem cell provisions off HHS bill

Following the threat of a presidential veto, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) on Thursday removed stem cell provisions from a pending HHS appropriations bill. The provisions would have allowed couples to donate surplus embryos from fertility treatments for NIH-funded stem cell research and given the president authority to authorize the use of federal funds for the derivation and use of new stem cell lines. The White House expressed opposition to the provision and said that Bush would veto any legislation that eliminated the August cut-off date for stem cell derivation. Bush announced on Aug. 9 that he will allow federal funding of research based on lines already established by non-government sources (see BioCentury Extra, Friday Aug. 10). ...