The American Spectator

Political Hay

(Page 2 of 3)

With his "skin cells" reference, McCain was pointing to the experiments by scientists who had "reprogrammed" adult skin cells into "embryo-like" stem cells and released articles on their findings last November.

One scientist was Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University in Japan. The other was James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin, who some call "the father of embryonic research."

While many were celebrating these supposed breakthroughs, Theresa Deisher, scientist and founding researcher of AVM Biotechnology in Seattle, revealed several ethical problems in the March-April 2008 issue of Celebrate Life. Deisher wrote that kidney cells from an electively-aborted human fetus were among the ingredients used by both researchers.

And while Deisher explained that there are moral and ethical options to obtain those same reprogramming results, she still questioned the final outcome. After all, "[r]eprogrammed adult cells display this embryonic characteristic: they form fatal tumors in adults."

James Sherley also emphasized that embryonic stem cells are incompatible with anyone other than the embryonic persons to whom they belong. He said, "While embryonic stem cell research advocates argue that we should make use of 'extra embryos,' the bitter, bitter irony is that human embryonic stem cells cannot be used at all because they form tumors and lack essential properties needed to maintain mature tissues."

He called such research a "waste of taxpayer dollars" and reminded that it is "equivalent to abortion because, in both cases, innocent human beings are killed."

AT THE END OF JULY, Catholics for McCain held a conference call, conducted by Keating and McCain's Catholic outreach director, Josh Lynch.

In the first question, I said that Catholics and others deserved an explanation for certain claims that are being made by the McCain campaign, citing McCain's support for embryonic stem cell research. Others pressed the same issue.

Keating told us that the pro-life claim applies only to Sen. McCain's record against abortion. Keating and Lynch urged us to compare McCain's record to Obama's pro-abortion record.

They said that we can count on McCain to nominate good judges, and Keating thinks the embryonic stem cell issue "is going to go away" because of "the skin cell" technology, which is exactly how McCain's answers played out at Saddleback.

Despite Gov. Keating's hopes, the embryonic stem cell research agenda has taken on a life of its own. Congress is poised to pass the same bill again. Thus, Lynch pointed out that John McCain is a cosponsor of the U.S. Senate's proposed Human Cloning Prohibition Act and he invited Catholics to e-mail their concerns to the campaign.

At the end of the conference, Keating said, "We need your guidance and advice. I know there's disagreement -- we had several callers who were concerned about McCain's support for embryonic stem cell research. I'm against it. I'm not panicking on the subject because I think John is warm and wonderful and humble and open and right down the line on the rights of the vulnerable. I think we'll get there."

Well, here we are now. Scientists, physicians and pro-life leaders have been reminding McCain's campaign advisers of stem cell realities for months, but his Saddleback answers indicate, at best, halting progress.

In his Catholic outreach pamphlet, McCain claims to be "a man of compassion who fights for human rights worldwide" and "a pro-life Reagan conservative ready to lead America as president on day one."

Unless he commits to vetoing funding for embryonic stem cell research, how can we believe those claims or his promise to "cut taxes and eliminate all wasteful spending"?

topics:
Taxes, John McCain, Barack Obama, Abortion, NATO