Snowe Votes to Support Expanded Stem Cell Research

Press Release

Snowe Votes to Support Expanded Stem Cell Research

Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) today hailed passage of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, which would allow expansion of vital federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Senator Snowe was an original co-sponsor of the legislation.

"This legislation provides a great hope to millions of Americans—and quite frankly, their families and caregivers—who suffer from a multitude of devastating diseases that have shown such great promise of being alleviated or cured through advanced stem cell research," said Senator Snowe.

Today, federal funding for research is restricted to a small number of embryonic stem cell ‘lines' that were established prior to August 9, 2001. Unfortunately, only 19 of those 78 stem cell lines in existence are available to researchers, as many were found to be contaminated or otherwise unusable. The legislation approved today establishes a very strict ethical framework by which stem cells may be obtained and does not allow the creation of an embryo for research purposes.

"The reason I believe so strongly in stem cell research is that I cannot look at a person suffering from a debilitating, and even fatal disease and support prohibitions which impede ethical research aimed at alleviating that suffering," said Senator Snowe, who also strongly urged President Bush to rethink and reconsider a threatened veto of the legislation. "We desperately need to ease the current restrictions on the use of stem cells so that research can move forward and lives can be saved."

In addition to the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, the Senate also voted on a second measure which Senator Snowe did not support. Called the Hope Act, the legislation would authorize increased funding for stem cell research without allowing the destruction of embryos.

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