As you know, one of the principal tenets of the Republican Party is a profound respect for the dignity of all human life.
This respect has led to our party’s strong pro-life positions, on issues from abortion to euthanasia to embryonic stem-cell research.
Of course, many of our party’s most prominent members disagree with the platform on one issue or another, and Republicans’ ability to have these substantive, thoughtful debates within our party is one of our principal strengths as a national governing coalition.
As a strong supporter in the dignity of every human life, regardless of its physical strength, mental capacity or familial situation, Senator Frist’s announcement today that he now supports federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, which, by its very nature involves the destruction of innocent human life, is obviously disappointing.
Senator Frist is a good man; he is simply advocating a bad policy.
As a practical matter, embryonic stem-cell research doesn’t work.
Adult stem-cell research – which does not involve the destruction of human life – has produced treatments for no fewer than 67 separate diseases.
Embryonic stem-cell research has produced none – it is a bad fiscal investment.
As a political matter, the federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research would spend on the destruction of human life the tax dollars of tens of millions of Americans who find such research morally reprehensible.
This research is going on now with privately funded money, and needn’t force the American people and their money into such morally dicey matters.
As a logical matter, Senator Frist’s position – which declares both profound respect for human life but also support for the federal funding of its destruction – can be boiled down to the argument that while all human lives is precious, some are more precious than others.
And as a moral matter, embryonic stem-cell research is based entirely on a logic in which the ends justify the means – one of the singular dangers of medical and personal ethics.
We all want to cure diseases, but the deliberate – let alone federally funded – destruction of innocent human life cannot be the means to that end.