Matthew Nesbit, Ph.D. reports at the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CISCOP) that 2007 will be an interesting year for the “Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act” which authorizes federal funding for research using embryonic stem cells donated from in vitro fertilization clinics regardless of when the cell lines were created. According to Nesbit:
The bill is really a “left-over” initiative from this past summer when Congressional Democrats joined with a substantial minority of Republicans to pass legislation, only to have the President veto the law. Supporters at the time were unable to muster the required two-thirds of votes in the House and the Senate to override the veto.
In 2007, however, things are likely to be different. Democrats will hold a 233-202 advantage in the House and will control the Senate by a 51-49 margin. Michael Werner and Jonathan Moreno at the Center for American Progress predict that the reintroduced stem cell legislation would be likely to gain 66 votes in the Senate, teetering just one vote shy of overturning a Bush veto.
Nesbit’s in-depth analysis is valuable not only for his take on the future of stem cell research, but also his numbers on other issues congress is likely to be confronted with during the current legislative year.
CISCOP is always good reading. This article is well worth reading.