HANOVER – Sen. Hillary Clinton attended a town-meeting style panel discussion yesterday at Dartmouth College, where she focused on the need to extricate religion from the debate over embryonic stem cell research.

Clinton recognized audience member and former U.S. surgeon general Dr. C. Everett Koop, who traveled with her while she touted her failed plan for health care reform in 1993.

Clinton, who said her first time in Hanover was for a blind date in the 1960s, stressed the importance of "evidence-based decision making" in Washington, D.C., and said the ban on embryonic stem cell research has set the country back, both scientifically and economically.

"They've turned Washington into an evidence-free zone, and we've seen this in so many different ways," the New York Democrat said.

The U.S. Senate needs 67 votes to override the President's veto on a stem cell research-funding bill; so far there are 66 votes in favor.

"Your own New Hampshire senator, John Sununu, continues to be an obstacle," Clinton said, adding that the new bill creates an "ethical framework" in which the research could take place.

Clinton said President Bush's funding restrictions push young scientists out of the running for research grants from the National Institutes of Health.

"We're cutting funding to the scientists who can actually make the breakthroughs to benefit all of us," she said.

Nancy Smith, a Dartmouth scientist, said she feels confident in Clinton's ability to represent the scientific community. "I'm extremely impressed by how knowledgeable you are on this issue," she told Clinton.

Joining Clinton on stage at the one-hour event, which coincided with Dartmouth's Alumni Week, were two New Hampshire families struggling with illnesses that could potentially be cured through the use of embryonic stem cells. Also contributing to the discussion was Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, associate chief of neurology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

According to a campaign staff member, about 600 people attended the event at Dartmouth yesterday, with about 150 of them having to listen to an audio feed playing outside due to a lack of space.