Washington D.C., Jul 7, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The United States Congress should not authorize the use of federal funds to support embryonic stem-cell research, says William Cardinal Keeler in a letter to the members of the Congress Appropriations Committee, issued yesterday.
Amendments to the Labor/HHS appropriations bill, which would authorize the use of government funds for embryonic stem-cell research, are being considered.
“Government has no business forcing taxpayers to support research that relies on the direct destruction of any human life,” he says.
The authorization of such funding would contradict scientific evidence, indicating that embryonic stem-cell research is not as promising as was originally thought, says the cardinal, who serves as the chairman of the Committee for Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.