President Bush holds Trey Jones, 1, of Cypress, Texas, after speaking out against federally-funded stem-cell research during an event at the White House, July 19, 2006. (Xinhua Photo/Reuters)

    BEIJING, July 20 (Xinhuanet)-- The international medical community has criticized U.S. President George W. Bush's veto of a bill that would have allowed federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, The Times reported Thursday.

    Millions of patients worldwide would suffer as a result of Bush's veto to the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, passed by 63 votes to 37 in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, the newspaper said, adding doctors and scientists expressed dismay at Bush's decision.

    Scientists have claimed that embryonic stem cell research could lead to cures for many diseases including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, spinal cord injuries and juvenile diabetes.

    Although two thirds of Americans support government funding of embryonic stem cell research, Bush blocked the legislation on moral grounds.

    "It crosses a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect, so I vetoed it," Bush said Wednesday at the White House, where he'd gathered 18 families that included children born from implanted embryos, to illustrate his point.

    This is the first-ever veto Bush has used since taking office, and he explained that "this bill would support the taking of innocent human life in the hope of finding medical benefits for others."

    "These boys and girls are not spare parts," he said. "And they remind us that in our zeal for new treatments and cures, America must never abandon our fundamental morals."

    Lord Rees of Ludlow, the president of the Royal Society in London, said that Bush's veto was "slowing down the global effort to develop therapies for a range of diseases and illnesses... that could eventually help millions of patients in the US and the rest of the world," according to The Times.

    Medical research is increasingly reliant on international collaboration, and tough constraints on embryonic stem cell work in the world's scientific "superpower" will inevitably hamper progress elsewhere, scientists said.

    David Macauley, the chief executive of the UK Stem Cell Foundation, said: "This is about realizing the potential of stem cell research and this will only be achieved if we encourage and support research and collaboration worldwide." Enditem

    (Agencies)