Passage, Veto Likely as Supporters Wield New Power and Foes Cite New Alternatives
By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 11, 2007; A04
The House is expected to pass today, by a substantial margin, legislation that would loosen President Bush's restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research -- a bill identical to the one it passed in 2005.
Next month, the Senate is expected to do the same, as it did last year.
And all indications are that soon after that, Bush will, for the second time, veto the bill.
But the final outcome of this year's emotional fight over the science and ethics of stem cell research is not as predictable as it may seem, said scientists and congressional strategists on both sides of the issue.
Opponents of the research say they have never been stronger, not only because of the ongoing support of the president but also because several recent studies have suggested that non-embryonic cells have significant medical promise that may rival that of embryonic cells.
Proponents, however, have a new ace up their sleeve as well: the political shifts wrought by voters in November. With stem-cell-friendly Democrats in the majority for the first time since the cells were discovered in 1998, supporters of the research will be able to work Congress's complex rules in their favor.
