[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 49 (Monday, December 12, 1994)]
[Pages 2459-2460]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Federal Funding of Research on Human Embryos

December 2, 1994

    The Director of the National Institutes of Health has received a 
report regarding Federal funding of research on human embryos. The 
subject raises profound ethical and moral questions as well as issues 
concerning the appropriate allocation of Federal funds. I appreciate the 
work of the committees that have considered this complex issue, and I 
understand that advances in in vitro fertilization research and other 
areas could derive from such work. However, I do not believe that 
Federal funds should be used to support the

[[Page 2460]]

creation of human embryos for research purposes, and I have directed 
that NIH not allocate any resources for such research. In order to 
ensure that advice on complex bioethical issues that affect our society 
can continue to be developed, we are planning to move forward with the 
establishment of a National Bioethics Advisory Commission over the next 
year.

Note: This item was not received in time for publication in the 
appropriate issue.