Stem Cell Vote Could Be Imminent

The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research put out a vague news advisory a few minutes ago saying they expect Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tennessee) “to propose a vote on the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act today, as part of a unanimous consent package. We also expect one Senator to offer his objection […]

The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research put out a vague news advisory a few minutes ago saying they expect Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tennessee) "to propose a vote on the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act today, as part of a unanimous consent package. We also expect one Senator to offer his objection to the UC package, thus further delaying Senate action on this legislation."

When I called Sean Tipton, spokesman for CAMR, who the news advisory asks one to please call for more information, he was not keen to actually provide more information. But Reuters moved a story a few hours ago that suggests that the one senator who will probably object to the unanimous consent package is Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn who, like Frist, is an M.D.

The President has also promised to devote his first veto to the bill because it would open up federal funding of research on embryos that would otherwise be discarded by fertility clinics, which goes against his 2001 executive order.

Despite the veto threat, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a stem cell bill last year. Frist embraced the House bill but has not brought it to a Senate vote, in part because of objections from such conservatives as Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn, also a doctor.

"I'm an obstacle," Coburn said recently. "I don't know if I'm the only obstacle but I'm an obstacle." His spokesman said on Thursday that Coburn had not changed his position.

Two other strongly anti-abortion Republican senators, Sam Brownback of Kansas and Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, say they will no longer block a Senate vote, even though both of them will vote against the House-passed bill.

Update from Steven who was dutifully watching CSPAN: Unanimous consent was agreed. The senate will likely vote after July 4th. He also noted that the package of bills that will come up for vote include the enhancement act mentioned above as well as the Alternative Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapies Act and the Fetus Farming Prohibition Act (nice name, right?)

Thanks Steven!