Mr. Bush says, "I made it clear to the United States Congress I took the right position, and we'll veto any bill that doesn't adhere to that stance. They have a perogative to pass bills, and I have a prerogative to set limits on what I think is right. So, in any case, I respectfully disagree with Sen. Coleman."
Coleman, who has announced his own legislation to lift Bush's ban stem cell research funding, is voicing support for Senate Majority leader Bill Frist, who also backs increased funding.
Coleman says, "The President has made it clear he will veto any bill put in front of him, and I respect his decision. However, I believe we need to find common ground on this very important and sensitive issue."
Frist made waves Friday during a Senate speech, where he suggested he no longer agrees with Bush's opinion that enough progress is being made with stem cell research, which holds the promise of finding cures of human diseases.
The speech drew criticism from conservative and religious leaders, but was praised by advocates of stem cell research, including former first lady Nancy Reagan, whose husband (former President Ronald Reagan) was afflicted with Alzheimer's disease.
Bush limited federal funding for stem cell research on August 9. 2001, citing the necessity to destroy human embryos in order to harvest stem cells equates it with abortion.
