Back to the People -- Kennedy 313 (5788): 733 -- Science

Back to the People -- Kennedy 313 (5788): 733 -- Science: (A subscription is necessary for online access to this editorial in the current Science magazine.

"President Bush's recent veto of HR 810, the measure in the U.S. Congress that would have expanded federal funding for stem cell research, has focused attention on what is happening in this and other issues in science policy. The Senate vote was 63 to 37 in favor: a strong vote, but neither it nor the House could gather enough votes for the supermajority required to override the veto. That left federal funds available for research on only the few cell lines derived before 9 August 2001 and revealed a seismic shift in the relationship between the president and the people's representatives in Congress."

Kennedy goes on to link the veto to the Bush Administration's recalcitrant attitude on global warming and the control of greenhouse gas emisions.

He points out that uniquely, as a result of the failures in scientific leadership of the Administration in these two fields, state and city governments are stepping up to fill the gap. I am happy to report that Maryland, my state, is one of five in which the state government is funding stem cell research.