In a clear message to President Bush, the National Institute of Health issued a report Wednesday calling for additional research on human stem cells Bush will soon decide whether or not the government will continue to fund embryonic stem cell research.

Stem cells the highly adaptable building blocks of the human body comprise about one out of every million bone marrow cells.

Though formed in the very earliest stages of cell division, these cells are destined for greatness they will soon become specialized and eventually develop into a human being. Researchers across the country including researchers here at the University believe this process may hold the keys to treating and curing many currently incurable diseases.

Early clinical trials of stem cell therapy in monkeys have yielded promising results and researchers are enthusiastic they believe stem cells have the potential to help cure everything from diabetes to cancer to Lou Gehrig"s disease.

How can the government even consider not funding this groundbreaking research? The controversy relates to the fact that the best stem cell specimens are found in human embryos. For many conservatives, the potential benefits are outweighed by the implications of harvesting stem cells from embryos they say this type of research will lead to more abortions as the demand for fresh stem cells increases.

But stem cell research should have no impact whatsoever on the number of abortions performed each year. Strict guidelines for private researchers put into place by the Clinton administration allow them to obtain only embryos already marked for disposal at fertility clinics. Also, researchers are forbidden to pay for embryos, so no one is tempted to sell embryos to the highest bidder. If these guidelines are carried over to government-funded research, conservatives will need not fear that the research would result in more abortions.

Knowing this and keeping in mind the fantastic potential of stem cell research, senator, surgeon and strong presidential ally Bill Frist (R-Tennessee) Wednesday announced that he would support giving government funding to stem cell researchers. Frist, who is both pro-life and the only medical doctor in the Senate, said he would back this funding provided it was "very carefully regulated."

Frist is not the only conservative in favor of government-funded stem cell research. Just two days after Frist"s statement, 13 Republicans joined 48 Democrats in signing two separate letters to President Bush, urging the president to consider lifting the federal ban.

The two letters were started by Senators John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) and Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania), respectively. According to www.cnn.com, Sen. Kerry and Sen. Specter are confident that as many as 75 senators support their cause if this is the case, even a presidential veto could not stop legislation to fund even embryonic stem cell research.

The life-saving potential of this research is too great to be ignored. While making his decision, President Bush must not bow to political pressure from the right to keep government funding out of these laboratories. There is no compelling reason why the government should not proceed to fund stem cell research under the provisions laid out by the Clinton administration. Bush should heed the call of the NIH and support further stem cell research.