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The House of Representatives gave a boost Wednesday to federal funding for ethical stem cell research.The House approved by voice vote an amendment to increase funding in the next federal budget to $15 million for research on stem cells from umbilical cord blood. The measure increases funding by $11 million from the amount originally designated in the bill for the National Cord Blood Inventory (NCBI).The NCBI"now gives us the opportunity to turn medical waste into medical miracles,"said Rep. Chris Smith, R.-N.J., sponsor of the amendment."Without passage of this amendment,the current grant recipients would need to dramatically scale back their cord blood banking initiatives just as they're ramping up to treat more patients."About 8,000 patients have received cord blood therapies for more than 70 diseases during the last two years, Smith said.The NCBI collects cord blood units and makes them available for doctors searching for matches for patients.The law authorized $15 million for the inventory.Stem cells are the body's master cells that can develop into tissues and other cells, providing hope for the treatment of numerous afflictions.Extracting stem cells from non-embryonic sources does not harm the donors.Such stem cells have treated spinal cord injuries,rheumatoid arthritis,lupus, multiple sclerosis and sickle cell anemia.Embryonic stem cell research draws opposition because it destroys the embryo,has yet to treat any diseases in human beings and has been plagued by tumors in lab animals.President Bush in 2001 prohibited federal funds for embryonic stem cell research and as twice vetoed bills seeking to weaken his ban. As in the days of Noah...
