THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 3, 1994 TAG: 9412030295
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: BETHESDA, MD. LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
President Clinton on Friday ordered that no federal funds be spent on human embryos created for research purposes only.
But Clinton did not specifically forbid federal financial support for research on human embryos that originate from in vitro fertilization - the so-called ``test-tube baby'' technique.
``I do not believe that federal funds should be used to support the creation of human embryos for research purposes,'' Clinton said. His order Friday was far less sweeping than previous restrictions imposed by Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush.
``I have directed that the National Institutes of Health not allocate any resources'' for studies of human embryos that were created for research purposes, Clinton said.
White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers, asked to interpret Clinton's terse statement, said, ``It should be interpreted very narrowly.''
Asked if the statement would permit federally funded research using embryos that were surplus from IVF clinics, she said, ``The president's statement doesn't outlaw that.''
``That's the line that's been drawn,'' said a senior White House official who asked not to be named publicly.
The report of the NIH's human embryo committee said the research had the potential of finding news ways to correct infertility, to improve methods of avoiding or correcting birth defects, and to learn fundamental cell biology that might lend itself to combatting cancer.
After studying the issue for nine months, the committee delivered its recommendations this week to another panel that advises NIH Director Harold Varmus.
That panel endorsed the recommendations, leaving the final decision up to Varmus on if, when and how the NIH would proceed with research grants - until Clinton took it out of Varmus' hands.
KEYWORDS: IN VITRO FERTILIZATION by CNB