Stem cell research not dead in N.C.

Panel says state could fund studies

President Bush said no Wednesday to expanded embryonic stem cell research, but North Carolina legislators were jumping into the fight.

Bush vetoed a bill that would have loosened restrictions on spending federal money to use human embryos to develop cures for diseases. About the same time, Rep. Jim Gulley, a Mecklenburg County Republican whose hands shake from Parkinson's disease, was arguing for state money to be used on stem cell research.

Bush opposes destroying human embryos. Gulley told a House committee that he opposes abortion, too. But embryonic stem cells are a separate issue, he said.

The North Carolina measure cleared the House Science and Technology Committee, where a majority of members wanted to join a handful of states that provide their own research money for stem cell research. Faced with limits on federal spending, California voters approved $3 billion in state spending in 2004, and about a half-dozen other states have spent or pledged smaller amounts.

North Carolina proponents propose spending $10 million, a fraction of what's been committed in some other states, but comparable to amounts spent in Illinois and Maryland.

The North Carolina bill's supporters emphasized that only embryos a few days old that are left over from fertilization clinics could be used under the proposed state policy. Tens of thousands of cells sit in freezers and would otherwise be discarded as medical waste, supporters said.

"This bill comes down to what to do with the embryos that are left over after in vitro fertilization," Gulley said. "Do you flush them or do you use them to find a cure for people like me?"

The measure had detractors who said that the potential to cure disease is not certain and that support should instead go to stem cell research that does not destroy embryos.

Rep. Marilyn Avila, a Wake County Republican, said she takes pills and three shots a day to control her diabetes. Yet, she said she could not in clear conscience accept that a cure might come at the cost of a human life.

"Embryonic stem cells have a possible potential for curing disease. Nothing is proven," she said. "They have an absolute potential to become human life."

Rep. Earl Jones, a Greensboro Democrat, said political support for the research has had to advance in small steps. This is the third legislative session in which Jones has tried to get his colleagues to back state funding for such research. Until Wednesday, he had not been able to even get the support of a legislative committee.

In an effort to educate his legislative colleagues, Jones led a panel last year that had ethicists, scientists and lobbyists talk about stem cell research.

"You can put more money in, but you have to take a step at a time," said Jones, a self-professed science enthusiast who leads the House science committee that approved the bill Wednesday.

If North Carolina supports embryonic stem cell studies, he said, it will stand out among its Southeastern neighbors and attract scientists and more private grants to a state already rich with technology.

Jones' bill still has a long way to go. Another House committee must approve it before it gets to a vote of all House members. If the bill wins approval there, it goes to the Senate.

North Carolina's interest has gained national attention from both supporters and opponents. Members of Hadassah, a volunteer women's organization, have asked legislators in the last few years to support the research.

Marla Gilson, the group's Washington lobbyist, was disappointed with the Bush veto. But she applauded North Carolina for moving to back stem cell research, even with a small amount of money.

"If the state legislature puts itself out there on record to say this is an important goal for North Carolina," she said, "in the absence of anything else, something is better than nothing."