The Daily Background

The House of Representatives passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act Thursday afternoon, setting the stage for another “veto showdown.”

Speaker Pelosi said on the House floor shortly after the bill’s passage that “Every one of those families in America, every one of us is one telephone call, or one diagnosis away from needing the benefits of stem cell research.”

“I can’t help but think that those who are against this legislation today would want their family members, their child with diabetes, their husband with Parkinson’s, their father with alziemers, their mother with breast cancer, to have the benefit of stem cell research,” Pelosi continued soberly.

The measure passed 247-176, overwhelmingly but not veto-proof. The corressponding Senate legislation passed with a similar margin weeks ago in the Senate, also not veto-proof. When it was passed in the Senate, there was talk that if the House was able to muster an unvetoable margin, the Senate might revisit the issue to try and do the same.

President Bush has vowed to kill the legislation as soon as it reaches his desk. His first veto cast as president, in 2006, was also used to kill legislation that would have funded embryonic stem cell research. On the campaign trail last year, House Democrats promised to return to the issue as part of their “6 for ‘06″ agenda.

“We’ve had this debate before,” Pelosi said, recalling last year’s veto. “With his cruel veto pen, President Bush dashed the hopes of many with the healing potential of stem cell research. We are hoping for a different outcome today.”

Pelosi also noted that funding was already available for stem cell research is available in some states, including her own state of California. “But,” she said, “it should be available to the entire country.”

The bill will now go into conference committee with the Senate version, which is not expected to take long, and will likely reach the president’s desk by next week.

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