From the Office of Senator Kerry

Thursday, August 9, 2001

Senator John F. Kerry said, "The announcement President Bush will make tonight is important not because of politics, but because of its implications for science, for medicine, and for public health. That is why so many of us who have been vocal on this issue are awaiting eagerly the President's announcenent, and it is why last month an unprecdented bipartisan coalition came together to express the overwhelmingly strong support in the United States Senate for a reasonable and thoughtful approach to lifting the ban on stem cell research. A diverse cross section of the Senate broke with political orthodoxy and came together to say that we believe difficult medical decisions need to be taken out of the hands of politicians and put back with doctors and ethicists where they belong. We found the common ground to make the statement, and the religious and political diversity of our coalition was itself a powerful statement. I hope it is a statement that President Bush will take to heart as he announces a difficult decision tonight. "