White House Responds To Stem Cell Ruling

Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said the following Tuesday on the recent ruling from a Federal Judge to halt federal funding for stem cell research:

“The President said very plainly when he laid out his stem cell policy that this is important lifesaving — potentially lifesaving research that could have an impact on millions of Americans and people all around the world.  He thinks that we need to do research.  He put forward stringent ethical guidelines, and he thinks that his policy is the right one.”

“We’re still reviewing the decision from this judge, but what we’ve seen so far, from what we can tell, this would also stop the research that President Bush had allowed to go forward early in his presidency.  So we’re exploring all possible avenues to make sure that we can continue to do this critical lifesaving research.”