Senate Approves Stem Cell Bill - Congress Still Short Votes Needed to Override President's Promised Veto

The culture of death marches on:

The Democrat-led Senate's passage Wednesday of legislation seeking to allow federal funding for cutting-edge embryonic stem cell research sets up another fight with President Bush, who has vowed to veto the bill just as he did in July.

Proponents of the legislation say it is necessary even though a growing number of states led by California are undertaking state-funded research to make up for the federal government's Bush-ordered absence from almost all embryonic stem cell research. They said another presidential veto won't end their effort, although they remain shy of the votes in the Senate and House needed to override the veto.

"If we can't override the veto, we'll be back and back and back until we do,'' said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a longtime backer of embryonic stem cell research who was a sponsor of the Senate bill approved 63-34 on Wednesday.

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The House passed an almost identical stem cell bill 253-174 in January as part of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's initial "Six for '06'' legislative drive -- up from 235 in 2006, but far short of the 290 votes needed to overturn a presidential veto.

"We all hope the president signs this so we can move on. I'd just as soon do that as have it an issue in 2008,'' said another sponsor of the Senate bill, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.

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My Comments:
Every Catholic who voted for this monstrosity should be excommunicated. Kudos to Democrat Sen. Bob Casey who, it appears for now, will be following in the old man's footsteps.

And a special thanks to the man Casey defeated - Rick Santorum - for giving us a few more years of Arlen Specter to suffer through.