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Jewish World Review August 5, 2005 / 29 Tammuz, 5765 Doc Senator misdiagnoses embryonic stem cell research By Tony Snow
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
No politician can resist the temptation to
press up against the glass storefront called History, and think wistfully:
"This is where I belong." So when the Siren of Enchantment crooked her
finger last week at Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, he strolled to the
Senate floor and urged American taxpayers to underwrite embryonic stem cell
research, promising that the shift would "define us as a civilized and
ethical society forever in the eyes of history."
But History often betrays those who seek her favor, preferring
to reward those who achieve valor by accident rather than design. As a
result, Sen. Frist's bold foray enhanced his fame, while lowering him into
political quicksand.
Understand one thing: Bill Frist is a doctor. The healing gene
is in his bones. He performs medical care as a profession, a vocation, even
a vacation activity. As a medical professional, he asks what tools are in
his toolbox and how he can use them to save or improve lives. (When I
learned I had cancer, for instance, he was among the first to offer help.)
This bias for action inclines him against chin-pulling and philosophizing —
and in the present case, lured him into a position riddled with
inconsistencies.
First comes the fact that embryonic stem cell research involves
what he calls the destruction of "nascent human life" — i.e., murder. He
tries to twist free of this complication by defining the procedure as
justifiable homicide. Frist says the embryo (a) was going to die, anyway, as
part of in-vitro clinic housecleaning and (b) could supply genetic material
useful in curing degenerative conditions, catastrophic injuries and wasting
illnesses.
But this raises other complications: If Science has the right to
conduct investigations on doomed or unwanted embryos, why not do the same
with aborted infants, the still-warm deceased, the brain-dead or even cloned
clumps of tissue?
The senator knows his position logically leads in this
direction, and he proposes to prevent future horrors by passing laws.
Unfortunately, bad ideas rarely stop in their tracks and mere statutes
seldom forestall unhappy endings. Bad ideas instead serve as portals for the
unimaginable. This is why things once considered criminal — such as
designer babies and partial-birth abortions — now enjoy legal protection.
Frist next argues, as do many geneticists, that embryonic stem
cells are special. They are "pluripotent" — capable of duplicating any cell
in the human body — and therefore only they can regenerate organs and
tissues wracked with infirmity and disease.
Research doesn't yet support this view. Adult and cord-blood
stem cells — which scientists can obtain without killing anything — have
shown extraordinary healing capabilities. Researchers have used adult cells
in ameliorating more than 70 diseases or conditions; cord-blood cells, more
than 40. But embryonic stem cells have not produced a single therapeutic
breakthrough. On the contrary, the cells have shown an unsettling tendency
to grow wildly — creating cancers, instead of cures.
The point is, there's no need for federal funding of a procedure
that millions of people consider murderous. Embryonic stem cell research is
perfectly legal, and entrepreneurs are pumping millions of dollars into it
already. If someone finds good uses for the technology, a biotech gold rush
will ensue, creating wealth that would humble Bill Gates himself.
Meanwhile, the push for embryo research could shortchange people
who need help right now. Why take money from effective technologies (adult
and cord-blood stem cells) for the sake of something that so far has proven
capable only of spawning cancers?
Such are the major flaws in the Frist argument. Yet, a vexing
philosophical matter remains: His approach blindsides Lady Liberty.
The Founders' belief in the sanctity of life enabled them to do
something no government had done before: protect individuals from
politicians and special interests. "Unalienable" rights were not the
handiwork of man. They were the Creator's handiwork, and thus not subject to
human review or repeal.
The moment you give in to the temptation to demote G-d and deify
Science — even in the quest to save millions of lives — you wreck the wall
that protects the weak from the powerful.
Bill Frist embarked on a healing mission, and wound up on the road
paved with good intentions — a road laid out when the president approved
embryonic experimentation four years ago. But give him this: Now, neither
he, the president nor anyone else in Washington has anywhere to hide when it
comes to taking a stand on the sanctity of life.
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Comment on JWR contributor, and syndicated talk show host, Tony Snow's column by clicking here. © 2005, Creators Syndicate, Inc |
Mitch Albom | |||||||||||
