Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist did an about-face on controversial human embryonic stem cell research during a recent floor speech.
The Tennessee lawmaker and cardiologist formally broke ranks with the Bush administration’s opposition to proposed legislation that would expand federal funding for such research.
“When I remove the human heart from someone who is brain dead and I place it in the chest of someone whose heart is failing to give them new life, I do so within an ethical construct that honors dignity of life and respect for the individual.
Like transplantation, if we can answer the moral and ethical questions about stem cell research, I believe we will have the opportunity to save many lives and make countless other lives more fulfilling. That’s why we must get our stem cell policy right–scientifically and ethically.
As we know, adult stem cell research is not controversial on ethical grounds–while embryonic stem cell research is. Right now, to derive embryonic stem cells, an embryo–which many, including myself, consider nascent human life–must be destroyed. But I also strongly believe–as do countless other scientists, clinicians and doctors–that embryonic stem cells uniquely hold specific promise for some therapies and potential cures that adult stem cells cannot provide.
We should federally fund research only on embryonic stem cells derived from blastocysts leftover from fertility therapy, which will not be implanted or adopted, but instead are otherwise destined by the parents with absolute certainty to be discarded and destroyed.
I am pro-life. I believe human life begins at conception. It is at this moment that the organism is complete–yes, immature–but complete. It’s genetically distinct. And it’s biologically human. It’s living. This position is consistent with my faith. But to me, it isn’t just a matter of faith. It’s a fact of science,” Frist said.
In August, 2001, President Bush limited federal funding for embryonic stem cell research to 78 existing stem cell lines. In May of this year, the House, with the backing of 50 Republicans, approved the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, a bill to allow expanded federal funding for embryonic stem cell research using donated embryos that would otherwise be discarded by fertility clinics.
Frist said he would back the House measure, but he wanted to revise it to further clarify the ethical framework for donating the frozen embryos, which are now estimated to number about 400,000.
In response to Frist’s revised position, the President strongly underlined his opposition to any expansion of the limits he imposed on such research four years ago.
“I am confident that I have achieved the right balance between science and ethics. There are ethical dilemmas when it comes to science, and I think it’s very important for a government to recognize those ethical dilemmas. The dilemma I was faced with was, do I allow the destruction of life in order to advance science?”
The President threatened to veto any changes by Congress to his directive on embryonic stem cell research.
“They have a prerogative to pass laws. I have the prerogative to set limits in what I think is right,” the President said.
Some in the medical community, as well as a number of pro-life and pro-family organizations, expressed outrage and disappointment over Frist’s announcement.
The 17,000-member Christian Medical Association lamented Frist’s decision.
CMA Executive Director, Dr. David Stevens, noted, “We deeply regret Sen. Frist’s endorsement of an embryonic stem cell research policy that would turn living human beings into commodities for exploitation. We have appreciated the senator’s thoughtful and principled stances on life issues in the past, and are extremely disappointed to see what we consider a crucial moral lapse on this critical issue.
As physicians, we understand the pressure to seek treatments from all possible sources, but we must remain committed to insuring that life-honoring ethics guide our decisions. Treating living human embryos as mere fodder for the experimentation crosses a vital ethical line and contravenes the sanctity of human life. The ends never justify the means. Seeking cures for patients is an admirable goal, but it must never be done at the expense of other human lives,” Stevens said.
Likewise, the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity said, it was deeply troubled by Frist’s announcement.
CBHD President, John Kilner, said, “Senator Frist soundly affirms that embryos are human life warranting the ‘utmost dignity and respect.’ But then he mentions that it is okay to kill them if other people can benefit. The implication is that human beings can be killed if others can benefit. The danger here is glaring!”
Center Senior Fellow, C. Ben Mitchell, added, “It’s simply not consistent with the life affirming ethic to use the weakest members of our human family for purposes of research. It is never acceptable for the government to kill unwanted children. Abandonment is not a warrant for embryo-destructive research.”
Dr. Paul Schenk, executive director of The National Pro-Life Action Center, said Frist clearly understands that the procedures involved in embryonic stem cell research “do, in fact, take a human life.”
“As Nuremberg demonstrated, humanity has no right to benefit from the indignity, suffering and illicit research conducted under the guise of medical progress. As a physician, Sen. Frist swore to uphold the Hippocratic Oath, whose first directive is to ‘do no harm.’ Clearly, the senator’s intentions are in direct conflict with that oath. As we know from past experience, no one wins from this type of compromise, particularly the innocent children killed through this illicit research,” Schenk stated.
American Life League President, Judie Brown, said, Frist’s new stance on embryonic stem cell research shows that he is not pro-life.
“Sen. Bill Frist’s announcement that he has reversed his opinion on the expansion of human embryonic stem cell research is beyond repugnant to many in the pro-life community. Sadly, Sen. Frist now joins the ranks of numbers of politicians who have sacrificed the truth to satisfy other, less noble, goals.
While it is not surprising that those who support the killing of embryonic children are applauding Sen. Frist’s latest move, it is quite disheartening that the so-called pro-life officials in the Bush administration are excusing his crisis of conscience as ‘understandable,’” Brown said.
American Values President, Gary Bauer, expressed “deep disappointment” over Frist’s decision.
“The senator seems to have bought into the notion that some life can be sacrificed without its consent to benefit other life, and that is a slippery slope with deadly consequences, as history has shown repeatedly. His position is made all the more unfathomable given the actual disease-fighting victories already won in adult and umbilical stem cell research, while embryonic stem cell research has been ineffective,” Bauer said.
Focus on the Family Founder and Chairman, Dr. James Dobson, countered Frist’s contention that there are an insufficient number of stem cell lines to maximize the potential of embryonic stem cell research.
“That statement continues the common misconception that embryonic stem cells hold the greatest potential for human healing and therapy. In reality, recently published studies demonstrate that some adult stem cells can form most, if not all, body tissues, just like embryonic cells may be able to do. Furthermore, there will never be a sufficient number of new stem-cell lines to satisfy the sometimes unquenchable thirst for federal money to fund pet projects of researchers,” Dobson said.
Rev. Carlton Veazy, president of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, hailed Frist’s announcement, saying it “gives hope that the leaders of this country will stop playing politics with people’s health.”
“Some members of Congress and interest groups have stalled this legislation by unconscionably placing their ideology above the lives of Americans with incurable diseases. It’s time to end the ideological stranglehold and pass legislation to fund this life-saving research.
We urge President Bush–who has said he will veto legislation to expand funding for research with excess human embryos–to consider the policies adopted by many Christian and Jewish denominations, including his own United Methodist Church. He should also consider the feelings of almost two-thirds of the American public: that it is compassionate, humane and moral to put these excess embryos to use in seeking to alleviate human suffering now and in the future. President Bush should sign this bill for moral and medical reasons,” Veazy stated.
Also, Rev. Doug Tanner, president of The Faith and Policy Institute, “applauded” Frist’s statement.
“The Institute takes no position on stem cell research or any other public policy issue. We do, however, advocate open and honest dialogue whenever legislators seek to write laws dealing with issues of conscience. Sen. Frist’s decision recognizes that men and women of good will must try harder to resolve their differences on this vital issue of life and death. He also recognizes that God is active in our world today, including in the laboratories of science; and therefore, seeking the right course of action requires careful discernment rather than simple reference to doctrine,” Tanner said.
Prior to Frist’s about-face on the issue, it remained to be seen whether the House-passed measure or alternative bills would be considered, given that some influential Senate Republicans, such as Pennsylvania’s Arlen Specter and Utah’s Orrin Hatch, have proposed such legislation.
Frist now hopes to schedule a vote soon on legislation dealing with embryonic stem cell research, although he concedes that there is widespread disagreement on how to proceed with a debate that could involve several competing bills.
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