Oklahoma Governor's Veto Of Stem Cell Bill Sustained

Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- An attempt to override Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry's veto of a bill banning embryonic stem cell research has failed in the Oklahoma Senate.

The Oklahoma House voted to override the veto, but supporters of the bill could not muster the two-thirds majority they needed in the state Senate to nullify the veto.  The vote in the Senate was 26-19 to override the veto.  A total of 32 votes was needed to reverse the veto.

Read Governor Brad Henry's news release on his veto of the bill.

Henry said he vetoed the measure because it would prohibit potentially life-saving research and was mischaracterized as something that was needed to protect human life.

4/22/2009 Related story: Debate Rages Over Stem Cell Research

Supporters say such research is not ethical because it destroys the life represented by an embryonic stem cell.