Canada benefits from stem cell research veto

Not to play politics, but Canada has benefited from George W. Bush's refusal to federally fund stem-cell research. Stem-cell research is federally funded in Canada.

Given that the U.S. Congress will be unlikely to gain the 2/3 majority needed to override a veto, Canada will continue to enjoy the brain gain of scientists leaving the U.S. to do research.

Michael Rudnicki, scientific director of the Stem Cell Network, told the Toronto Star of the benefits north of the border. "There has been a reverse brain drain going on because of the U.S. policy,'' he said, "and we've kept some scientists who might have otherwise moved south."

That brain gain for Canada has lasted over 5 years, since Bush took office.

At stake are embryos that are already scheduled to be destroyed. U.S. federal law prohibits funding to do research on those cells.