Stem cell debate splits House Republicans

[Pah]

Stem cell debate splits House Republicans

LAURIE KELLMAN

Associated Press
Apprearing in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirerer

WASHINGTON - House Republican leaders are throwing their weight behind a bill to encourage stem cell research that uses blood from umbilical cords. The measure offers an alternative to spending government money for research that would destroy human embryos.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., had agreed earlier to allow a vote as soon as next week on a bill by Reps. Mike Castle, R-Del., and Diana DeGette, D-Colo., to lift President Bush's 2001 ban on the use of federal dollars for research using any new embryonic stem cells lines..

Some questions come to mind -

Cord blood cells are similar to embryonic cells but can grow into fewer types of tissues. Extracting stem cells from cord blood does not require the destruction of an embryo.

Isn't this the same limitation on medicine that adult stem cells present?

But after Castle and other moderate Republicans angered conservatives by sponsoring polls in their districts on the issue, Hastert and Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said they would pair the bill with a separate measure to encourage umbilical cord stem cell research

Why aren't Democrats doing the same polling? Some results would be nice to put in a back pocket

Is this "backyard polling" going to become the new wave for politics - a new "sub-industry"?