by Joyce Mullins:
Give Mike Castle the praise that's due him
It's rare that I want to write a column praising the work of a Republican
politician.
I've seen little evidence that the GOP cares very much about people who are
not rich and powerful.
That said, I want to praise Delaware's own, lone House representative,
Michael N. Castle, for his tireless efforts in getting federal support for
stem cell research.
Last summer, his bill, H.R. 810, went down in flames when George W. Bush
vetoed it.
Castle, who has been listening to his constituents, joined with Rep. Diana
DeGette, a Colorado Democrat, to sponsor a new Stem Cell Research
Enhancement Act.
Last week, the House vote was 253-174 in favor of the bill. It was a
terrific victory, but the vote was 37 short of what it will take to override
the veto Bush promised if the Senate passes it too.
Last week, Bush put on his best paternal protector face and said rather
dramatically on TV, "This bill would compel all Americans to pay for
research that relies on the intentional destruction of human embryos."
As usual, he wasn't being truthful.
The research proposed in this bill is to be conducted on embryos already
condemned to destruction.
This is the part that Bush & Company doesn't discuss. These embryos, created
by couples trying to have a baby, have already been abandoned. They will be
discarded.
Castle's camp sent out a press release stating, "The decision to discard the
embryo, which will be used for the research, will already have been made and
only then can a couple donate the embryo for research.
"Prior to that decision, all other options are open to them, including
embryo adoption," it states.
I don't expect to see George W. Bush go on national TV to wring his hands
over these embryos as they are being discarded. Do you? We will see how
concerned he is about them only when it suits his politics to do so.
Castle is to be encouraged by every Delaware citizen who has any personal
experience with the one in three Americans suffering from diseases such as
cancer, juvenile diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's -- the beneficiaries
of stem cell research.
There are a lot of Republicans who are suddenly running from their past
association with Bush.
Castle isn't one of these. He's sided with his constituents a number of
times against the administration. Recently, he came out in favor of lower
drug prices, which is not a favorite stance of the pro-corporate White
House.
Back to stem cell research: States are also getting into the act. New
Jersey's legislators are considering a proposal to approve the state
borrowing some $230 million for stem cell research.
It's controversial there because of that state's high debt. But Gov. Jon S.
Corzine and the Democratically controlled legislature is prepared to bite
this bullet to make their state a leader in stem cell research.
On a national level, unfortunately, we have an administration that looks
backward.
It's good to see states stepping in where ignorance blocks the way.
Delaware can be proud that our Mike Castle took the lead in finding an
ethical solution to this dilemma.
More states will follow.
Millions of Americans are counting on it.
Joyce Mullins has worked for newspapers in Delaware for more than 30 years.
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Originally published January 18, 2007
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