    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
    [December 2, 1994]
    [Page 2142]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 2142]]

    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 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.