Analysis of Stem Cell Comments by President Bush and Senator John Kerry and centerist Republicans

The following are the embryonic stem cell comments by President Bush and Senator John Kerry at Friday's Presidential Debate. The candidates make perfectly clear their intentions for more research in this area, so important to millions world wide. The source of these comments are http://tinyurl.com/6xuo6 and http://tinyurl.com/5v6f9.

The president's comments are different than the view held by "centrist", moderates in his party who would wish to "encourage" him to change his mind. On reinporting Parkinson's drugs he belives he is protecting  the American people from "third world" drugs coming through Canada, the U.K. and Europe.

The President's view of embryonic stem cells research from the approved lines was ok since they were killed already, his appointments to the Ethics Panel would raise the bar sufficiently to prevent any research from those "approved" lines and he says no additional lines nor NIH funding for embryionic stem cell research will be approved by him.

Parkinsonians, juvenile diabetes, spinal cord injury victims, If you live in a battle ground state, please help us repudiate this simplistic thinking. Your families and friends can make a difference. Most socially moderates are on our side but need help in the battle ground states. Stand up and be counted!

Below is the transcript of the candidates embryonic stem cell comments:


GIBSON:  Senator Kerry, the next question is for you, and it comes from Elizabeth Long. 

ELIZABETH LONG:  Senator Kerry, thousands of people have already been cured or treated by the use of adult stem cells or umbilical cord stem cells.  However, no one has been cured by using embryonic stem cells.

Wouldn't it be wide to use stem cells obtained without the destruction of an embryo?

KERRY:  You know, Elizabeth, I really respect your—the feeling that's in your question.  I understand it.  I know the morality that's prompting that question, and I respect it enormously.

But like Nancy Reagan, and so many other people—you know, I was at a forum with Michael J. Fox the other day in New Hampshire, who's suffering from Parkinson's, and he wants us to do stem cell, embryonic stem cell.  

And this fellow stood up, and he was quivering.  His whole body was shaking from the nerve disease, the muscular disease that he had.   

And he said to me and to the whole hall, he said, “You know, don't take away my hope, because my hope is what keeps me going.”

Chris Reeve is a friend of mine.  Chris Reeve exercises every single day to keep those muscles alive for the day when he believes he can walk again, and I want him to walk again.  

I think we can save lives.  

Now, I think we can do ethically guided embryonic stem-cell research.  

We have 100,000 to 200,000 embryos that are frozen in nitrogen today from fertility clinics.  These weren't taken from abortion or something like that.  They're from a fertility clinic.  And they're either going to be destroyed or left frozen.  

And I believe if we have the option, which scientists tell us we do, of curing Parkinson's, curing diabetes, curing, you know, some kind of a, you know, paraplegic or quadriplegic or, you know, a spinal cord injury, anything, that's the nature of the human spirit. 

I think it is respecting life to reach for that cure.  I think it is respecting life to do it in an ethical way.

And the president has chosen a policy that makes it impossible for our scientists to do that.  I want the future, and I think we have to grab it.

GIBSON:  Mr. President, a minute and a half.

BUSH:  Embryonic stem-cell research requires the destruction of life to create a stem cell.  I'm the first president ever to allow funding—federal funding—for embryonic stem-cell research.  I did to because I too hope that we'll discover cures from the stem cells and from the research derived.  

But I think we've got to be very careful in balancing the ethics and the science.  

And so I made the decision we wouldn't spend any more money beyond the 70 lines, 22 of which are now in action, because science is important, but so is ethics, so is balancing life.  To destroy life to save life is—it's one of the real ethical dilemmas that we face.

There is going to be hundreds of experiments off the 22 lines that now exist that are active, and hopefully we find a cure.  But as well, we need to continue to pursue adult stem-cell research.

I helped double the NIH budget to $28 billion a year to find cures.  And the approach I took is one that I think is a balanced and necessary approach, to balance science and the concerns for life.

GIBSON:  Senator, 30 seconds, less extent.

KERRY:  Well, you talk about walking a waffle line—he says he's allowed it, which means he's going to allow the destruction of life up to a certain amount and then he isn't going to allow it. 

I don't know how you draw that line.

But let me tell you, point blank, the lines of stem cells that he's made available, every scientist in the country will tell you, “Not adequate,” because they're contaminated by mouse cells, and because there aren't 60 or 70 -- they're are only about 11 to 20 now—and there aren't enough to be able to do the research because they're contaminated.

We've got to open up the possibilities of this research.  And when I am president, I'm going to do it because we have to.

GIBSON:  Mr. President?

BUSH:  Let me make sure you understand my decision.  Those stem- cells lines already existed.  The embryo had already been destroyed prior to my decision.

I had to make the decision to destroy more life, so we continue to destroy life—I made the decision to balance science and ethics.  

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