First, on necessity: The point isn’t that proponents of the research think that it’s necessary. It’s that the *federal subsidies* aren’t necessary. Neither Frist nor Krauthammer bothers even trying to make the case that they are, and it’s hard to make that case given the existing private-sector and state government funding that goes to the research. Second, on morality: I’m not arguing that Krauthammer’s “argument” is “immoral,” whatever that would mean. I’m arguing that the research is immoral. Obviously he disagrees. My point is that the force of the objection that people have to funding things they consider immoral depends in important part on whether they are correct to so consider it. I can’t believe that you could really disagree with that point. The closing statements you make are just a restatement of the original Krauthammer position to which I was lodging objections.