Courtesy of Matt Lewis:
The conscience of the Conservative is pricked by anyone who would debase the dignity of the individual human being. Today, therefore, he is at odds with dictators who rule by terror, and equally with those gentler collectivists who ask our premission to play God with the human race.
Who said this?
Barry Goldwater, in Conscience of a Conservative.
Now in this entire discussion on embryonic stem cell research, what is lost here is the following: This is not a discussion on whether it should be conducted (odious as it is). What is being discussed, debated, and vetoed is the public funding for such research.
In that light, Republicans are entirely on the right side of this issue regardless of one’s beliefs on embryos as human beings. The Democrats are just playing the same old spiel of imposing big government on America. 100 years ago, would these same Democrats have been in favor of phrenology clinics? Eugenics clinics?
Fact of the matter is not only have stem cells still not been practically used, there is little evidence that one must use embryos as a source while other options remain (fat cells for instance). Before stepping in and mandating the short-track, isn’t it better to allow the scientific community to decide for itself the best, most scientific, and most ethical options before throwing the imprimatur of big government behind it?
It’s amazing what people will do in the name of scientific progress, isn’t it?