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PATERSON CALLS ON CONGRESS TO OVERRIDE PRESIDENT’S STEM CELL BILL VETO

Lieutenant Governor David A. Paterson today issued the following statement regarding President Bush’s veto of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to Provide for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research.

“The broad range of voices supporting stem cell research were deemed irrelevant today by President Bush’s narrow-minded action. The President’s veto of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act denies hope to countless families living with the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes and other debilitating illnesses, and ignores the will of the American people.

“I call on Congress to respond to the overwhelming public outcry and override the President’s veto. We cannot continue to let the promise of stem cell research elude us, nor can we afford to be left behind in a scientific quest that may vastly improve the quality of life for future generations.

“We have the opportunity to embrace research that could change the practice of medicine. Tragically, this veto demonstrates that the Bush administration lacks the foresight and understanding of this research’s potential to empower scientists to explore this new frontier.”

The Spitzer-Paterson administration will invest $600 million of state funding in stem cell research over the next 11 years, with $100 million earmarked this year. New York’s initiative prohibits grants for projects directly or indirectly utilized for research involving human reproductive cloning. It also provides for an ethics committee to ensure moral principles are respected.

The newly created Empire State Stem Cell Board will provide grants to basic, applied, translational and other research that advances scientific discoveries in fields related to stem cell biology. The Board will oversee and administer the Empire State Stem Cell Trust, which will collect and distribute funds.

Governor Eliot Spitzer has charged Lieutenant Governor Paterson with spearheading the administration’s efforts in this area in light of his long history as an advocate for stem cell research.