Unless implanted in a woman, the tissue cannot grow into a fetus. Using
these spare embryos does not amount to killing babies.
This has become a presidential campaign issue because the Senate is
considering a bill to allow government-sponsored scientists the freedom to
engage
in embryonic stem cell research, so long as they follow the new
guidelines. For
five years Congress has banned the use of taxpayer funds for research that
directly
involves embryos. The basic progress in this area has been made by privately
sponsored scientists.
Specter and Harkin have held seven hearing on the issue and Senate
Majority
Leader Trent Lott has promised a vote on the bill before Congress adjourns
this Fall.
As with other abortion-related issues, Vice President Al Gore and
Gov. George
W. Bush are on opposite sides.
Gore firmly puts the disabled and ill first, favoring the
extension and funding
of embryonic stem cell research. He does not believe that life begins at
conception
but rather when the fetus "quickens" and has the potential of living
outside the mother.
Consequently he supports the concept that abortion should be an issue between a
woman and her doctor.
Bush, by contrast, believes in life at conception and is firmly
anti-abortion,
except if necessary to save the life of the mother. This places him in the
camp that
opposes embryonic stem cell research.
But Bush say he supports the concept of federal help to expand
medical
studies. He promised to "fund and lead a medical moon shot to reach far beyond
what seems possible today and discover new cures for age-old afflictions." He
said if elected president he would spend $91 billion to promote federal
research
on a variety of diseases, including Alzheimer's.
His promise is a fraud, however, if he refuses to let scientists
pursue the
most promising avenue to a "medical moon shot"-embryonic stem cell research.
Do we live in a modern world of technological breakthroughs or a
medieval fortress trapped in religious dogma and intellectual ignorance?
To stop medical research on the grounds of ethical considerations not shared
by everyone would be a tragedy for those with diseases, but also for the rest
of us.
Marianne Means is Washington, D.C. columnist with Hearst
Newspapers. Copyright 2000 Hearst Newspapers.
