Letter: Bush stance on stem cells causes suffering

Thursday, Oct. 10, 2002 | 8:33 a.m.

President Bush talks a good game about no American being left behind and human life being precious. However, all too often Americans are left behind, confined to hospital beds and wheelchairs. And, if Bush honestly believed human life was precious he would've allowed federal funds to be used for stem cell research.

He has the power and moral obligation to allow it but refuses. This prompted a physician speaking before a recent Senate subcommittee to say "the field of human embryonic stem cell research is in a fragile state at best under the current presidential policy."

The Bill of Rights gives none to embryos. The Supreme Court said "person" as mentioned in the Fourteenth Amendment "does not include the unborn." Yet Bush gives embryos top priority over the already-born who are waiting, suffering and praying for help. In America there's a spinal cord injury every 49 minutes. There are millions of people worldwide hoping their heart disease, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, juvenile diabetes, etc., can be cured or at least treated.

Those who object to stem cell research on moral grounds shouldn't accept the benefits derived from it. But it is wrong and unfair to deprive others of their chance to be well again.

Bush is slowing down the ability of modern science to develop cures and treatments by not allowing public funds to be used for research and, to date, has not yet provided the 78 cell lines he promised researchers last year.

A compassionate conservative? I don't think so!

JOYCE SEGAL

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