Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed embryonic stem cell research legislation Friday, saying rapidly evolving science may make it unnecessary to cross "moral and ethical lines" by destroying live embryos.
The bill would have allowed the University of Minnesota to spend state money on embryonic stem cell research. Cells would have come from stored embryos from donors who consented to research use, and an oversight committee would have been required to review the research.
Pawlenty also signed 10 bills Friday, including a much-debated transportation policy bill that imposes expanded restrictions on new teenage drivers. The bill also makes it illegal for any motorist to send and receive e-mails and text messages while driving.
The legislation would bar newly licensed drivers younger than 18 from having more than one passenger under age 20, other than family members. In the second six months, young drivers could have no more than three passengers under age 20.
The new law also prohibits young drivers from driving from midnight to 5 a.m. during their first six months unless they are going to work or to a school event where transportation was not provided.
Though Pawlenty wanted a provision allowing parents to opt out of the new regulations, Rep. Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said Friday she was glad legislators resisted such a provision. "We don't let people opt out of our laws," she said.
In vetoing the stem cell bill, which passed the House 71-62 two weeks ago, Pawlenty said he was willing to consider legislation "that is consistent with sound ethical and moral standards."
The governor said he supported several ideas, including using stem cells from discarded umbilical cords and extracting stem cells from embryos without damaging them.
Pawlenty, in his veto message, said two independent studies released last November showed that adult skin cells can be reprogrammed into stem cells with much of the same potential as embryonic cells for medical uses.
"We should encourage this science," the governor added.
Mike Kaszuba • 612-673-4388
