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Massachusetts Lawmakers Approve Stem Cell Research
By [PAM BELLUCK](http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?ppds=bylL&v1=PAM BELLUCK&fdq=19960101&td=sysdate&sort=newest&ac=PAM BELLUCK&inline=nyt-per)
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Published: April 1, 2005
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/dropcap/b.gifOSTON, March 31 - Legislation authorizing embryonic stem cell research passed in the Massachusetts House of Representatives on Thursday by a margin large enough to override an expected veto by Gov. Mitt Romney.
The bill, which passed the Senate by an overwhelming margin on Wednesday, would allow somatic cell nuclear transfer, a type of stem cell research that Mr. Romney opposes because it entails creating an embryo explicitly for the purpose of obtaining scientifically prized stem cells. The process ultimately involves destroying the embryo.
Mr. Romney calls the procedure “the cloning of new human embryos,” and says he considers it unethical. But despite running a radio advertisement Wednesday that called the legislation a “radical cloning bill,” he was unable to sway enough lawmakers to his side.
The House voted 117 to 37 to pass the bill, which is expected to land on Mr. Romney’s desk in a few days, assuming that the somewhat different Senate and House versions can be reconciled. Fifty-three votes are needed to sustain a veto.
Proponents of the bill said that allowing somatic cell nuclear transfer, also called therapeutic cloning, was critical to helping scientists find potential cures or treatments for illnesses like multiple sclerosis, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.
The technique involves taking the nucleus from a mature cell, like a cell from the skin or liver of someone suffering from a disease, and transplanting it into an egg cell, which would then begin to produce stem cells that scientists could possibly use to create a cure for that disease.
“We have an opportunity to unlock some of the reasons behind degenerative diseases,” said Representative Daniel E. Bosley, a Democrat.
Scientists at Harvard University and Children’s Hospital Boston have plans to use the technique to create human stem cells, and supporters argued that if Massachusetts did not authorize and encourage such work, these scientists would move to states like California or New Jersey, which have authorized such research and created financial incentives for it.
“If Gov. Mitt Romney’s position were to succeed, Massachusetts would become the laughingstock of the country - at once reversing the long-held perception that our state is an international leader in science and medicine,” said a statement from Philip Johnston, chairman of the state’s Democratic Party.
A spokesman for Mr. Romney, Eric Fehrnstrom, said that the vote was “disappointing” but that the governor was still hopeful that the Senate and House would be unable to agree on a final version of the bill.
“It’s not over yet,” Mr. Fehrnstrom said, adding that Mr. Romney’s radio advertisements would continue to run.
“This is uncharted ethical territory,” he said. “The cloning of human embryos has never been done before in this country, and the governor has very legitimate concerns that we not create life for the sole purpose of experimenting on it.”
Mr. Romney, a Republican who leads a liberal state and is widely believed to have presidential ambitions, took a position on stem cell research that appeared to be aimed at two audiences. Political analysts said he was trying to appeal to conservatives outside the state, while retaining a moderate tone so as not to alienate Massachusetts voters.
In that vein, Mr. Romney said that he supported most stem cell research, including research on stem cells from embryos left over from in vitro fertilization procedures at fertility clinics. Some conservatives and Roman Catholics are opposed to any kind of stem cell research on embryos, but Mr. Romney, whose wife has multiple sclerosis, has argued that the fertility clinic embryos would be discarded anyway.
Political analysts cautioned against casting Mr. Romney’s legislative defeat as a damaging to his political career. Jeffrey Berry, a political science professor at Tufts University, said that while the governor’s stance might have hurt him in Massachusetts, he appeared to have earned points with conservative Republicans elsewhere in the country.
The votes against the bill came mostly from Republicans and some conservative Catholic Democrats. They argued that somatic cell nuclear transfer would open the door to reproductive cloning, even though such cloning is explicitly banned in the bill.
“We will inevitably end up with fetal farms where embryos are clinically and commercially developed into fetuses, grown for parts and potential cures,” said Representative Paul J. P. Loscocco, a Republican.
By [PAM BELLUCK](http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?ppds=bylL&v1=PAM BELLUCK&fdq=19960101&td=sysdate&sort=newest&ac=PAM BELLUCK&inline=nyt-per)
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif
Published: April 1, 2005
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/dropcap/b.gifOSTON, March 31 - Legislation authorizing embryonic stem cell research passed in the Massachusetts House of Representatives on Thursday by a margin large enough to override an expected veto by Gov. Mitt Romney.
The bill, which passed the Senate by an overwhelming margin on Wednesday, would allow somatic cell nuclear transfer, a type of stem cell research that Mr. Romney opposes because it entails creating an embryo explicitly for the purpose of obtaining scientifically prized stem cells. The process ultimately involves destroying the embryo.
Mr. Romney calls the procedure “the cloning of new human embryos,” and says he considers it unethical. But despite running a radio advertisement Wednesday that called the legislation a “radical cloning bill,” he was unable to sway enough lawmakers to his side.
The House voted 117 to 37 to pass the bill, which is expected to land on Mr. Romney’s desk in a few days, assuming that the somewhat different Senate and House versions can be reconciled. Fifty-three votes are needed to sustain a veto.
Proponents of the bill said that allowing somatic cell nuclear transfer, also called therapeutic cloning, was critical to helping scientists find potential cures or treatments for illnesses like multiple sclerosis, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.
The technique involves taking the nucleus from a mature cell, like a cell from the skin or liver of someone suffering from a disease, and transplanting it into an egg cell, which would then begin to produce stem cells that scientists could possibly use to create a cure for that disease.
“We have an opportunity to unlock some of the reasons behind degenerative diseases,” said Representative Daniel E. Bosley, a Democrat.
Scientists at Harvard University and Children’s Hospital Boston have plans to use the technique to create human stem cells, and supporters argued that if Massachusetts did not authorize and encourage such work, these scientists would move to states like California or New Jersey, which have authorized such research and created financial incentives for it.
“If Gov. Mitt Romney’s position were to succeed, Massachusetts would become the laughingstock of the country - at once reversing the long-held perception that our state is an international leader in science and medicine,” said a statement from Philip Johnston, chairman of the state’s Democratic Party.
A spokesman for Mr. Romney, Eric Fehrnstrom, said that the vote was “disappointing” but that the governor was still hopeful that the Senate and House would be unable to agree on a final version of the bill.
“It’s not over yet,” Mr. Fehrnstrom said, adding that Mr. Romney’s radio advertisements would continue to run.
“This is uncharted ethical territory,” he said. “The cloning of human embryos has never been done before in this country, and the governor has very legitimate concerns that we not create life for the sole purpose of experimenting on it.”
Mr. Romney, a Republican who leads a liberal state and is widely believed to have presidential ambitions, took a position on stem cell research that appeared to be aimed at two audiences. Political analysts said he was trying to appeal to conservatives outside the state, while retaining a moderate tone so as not to alienate Massachusetts voters.
In that vein, Mr. Romney said that he supported most stem cell research, including research on stem cells from embryos left over from in vitro fertilization procedures at fertility clinics. Some conservatives and Roman Catholics are opposed to any kind of stem cell research on embryos, but Mr. Romney, whose wife has multiple sclerosis, has argued that the fertility clinic embryos would be discarded anyway.
Political analysts cautioned against casting Mr. Romney’s legislative defeat as a damaging to his political career. Jeffrey Berry, a political science professor at Tufts University, said that while the governor’s stance might have hurt him in Massachusetts, he appeared to have earned points with conservative Republicans elsewhere in the country.
The votes against the bill came mostly from Republicans and some conservative Catholic Democrats. They argued that somatic cell nuclear transfer would open the door to reproductive cloning, even though such cloning is explicitly banned in the bill.
“We will inevitably end up with fetal farms where embryos are clinically and commercially developed into fetuses, grown for parts and potential cures,” said Representative Paul J. P. Loscocco, a Republican.
