Cliff Stearns: “today I want to talk about a very serious issue that is currently under review by the Bush administration. Included in…”

“today I want to talk about a very serious issue that is currently under review by the Bush administration. Included in his decision process is a question, should the Federal Government fund human embryonic stem cell research. This is clearly a very emotional issue with strong views on both sides. Viewpoints from groups as disparate as patient advocates and religious groups have weighed in. This is virtually a tug of war with neither side willing to concede. As a strong supporter of biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health, I unquestionably recognized the call for the onward march towards understanding treatments and cures for many debilitating conditions that have been plaguing mankind for as long as we can remember. However, I also can see the morally troubling question behind embryonic stem cell research. Is it justifiable to purposefully end one life even if it results in the salvation of millions of others? While religious viewpoints can certainly play a role in this debate, let us put that aside for the moment and approach this subject from a purely historical scientific perspective.”