Washington D.C., Jun 22, 2007 / 09:40 am
Cardinal Justin Rigali has commended President George Bush for vetoing S. 5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act.
Cardinal Rigali is archbishop of Philadelphia and chairman of the Committee for Pro-Life Activities at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The cardinal also welcomed the president’s executive order directing the National Institutes of Health to explore alternative, ethically acceptable means for obtaining very versatile or ‘pluripotent’ stem cells.
“Recent discoveries regarding stem cells from cord blood and amniotic fluid, and the reprogramming of ordinary adult cells to become pluripotent stem cells, demonstrate that science not only raises new ethical questions but at times can help address them,” said the cardinal in his statement.