The Senate is primed and ready for what will likely be an intense debate on the issue of embryonic stem cell research and has already approved a bill that would overturn President Bush’s limits of using taxpayer dollars to fund the research and the Senate could vote in May or June before it has its summer recess.

The pair told McClatchy Newspapers they think they have enough votes to get their legislation approved. He’s prepared to go ahead,” Specter said. He has to bring it up, or we’ll bring it up.”

Some political observers say they may face pressure from other Republican lawmakers to hold off on the vote because Democrats will likely use the results against pro-life Republicans who vote against the bill and are running for re-election this November.

An October 2005 Virginia Commonwealth University found that, when asked which type of stem cell research shows the greatest promise, 44 percent named adult stem cells, just 14 percent said embryonic stem cell research held the greatest promise and only 7 percent said both types hold equal promise.

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