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- <text id=92TT1208>
- <title>
- June 01, 1992: The Politics of Cells
- </title>
- <history>
- TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1992
- June 01, 1992 RIO:Coming Together to Save the Earth
- </history>
- <article>
- <source>Time Magazine</source>
- <hdr>
- THE WEEK, Page 21
- NATION
- The Politics of Cells
- </hdr><body>
- <p>Bush tries to fend off his first veto override, on fetal-tissue
- research
- </p>
- <p> Cells from the human fetus, harvested from elective
- abortions, have shown promise as a source of therapy for many
- incurable diseases. But four years ago, the Reagan Administration
- banned the use of federal funds for fetal-cell research, arguing
- that the practice would legitimize abortion.
- </p>
- <p> Now the issue is back before George Bush. Having reached
- a compromise that effectively removes abortion from the debate,
- the Senate has voted overwhelmingly in favor of lifting the ban.
- But no one knows if the House will pass the measure with enough
- strength to override a sure veto from Bush. It is too close to
- call. Faced with that uncertainty, Bush last week proposed
- creating a bank to collect fetal tissue from ectopic pregnancies
- and spontaneous abortions for research. But researchers quickly
- responded that naturally aborted fetal cells are often damaged
- and thus unusable for therapy. Looking for some political
- leverage, Bush portrayed the vote as a loyalty test for
- Republicans.
- </p>
-
- </body></article>
- </text>
-
-