New York Times: First Bush Veto Maintains Limits on Stem Cell Use
Bio-ethics is going to be an issue that politicians must confront for the remainder of human existence. Today's veto of a stem cell bill passed by the Congress is the boldest move yet taken by a politician in the United States to fundamentally hinder the natural progression of human ingenuity and innovative capacity. I believe the response from Tony Snow, White House spokesman, to reporters questions about why the President had decided to veto the bill was that, "The President doesn't believe in murder." Wow, can anybody else believe that? Not to mention the amateurish bluster of an otherwise distinguished and reasonable political mind, the White House is actually going to have that little regard for our intelligence? How could they have such nerve to paint this issue in such black and white moralistic terms, calling genuine scientific research which nobody argues is being conducted for the greater good of humanity "murder."
I wonder how many American's believe that to be the case? Now that I have asked the question I am scared to find out the answer.
Well, I've done the Google Search and I found this article in Forbes published yesterday, which puts the percentage of moral advocates at roughly 66% of Americans. This number isn't as frightening as I had feared it would be, but only 2-1 margin? The only excuse for such a large proportion of an educated and modernized populous to be totally ignorant to the realities of stem cell research and its potential is an absolute lack of effect conveyance of message by the organizations advocating its advancement.
I feel that the president probably did more damage to his party and his conservative agenda by forthrightly issuing today's veto, when it may have been more politically responsible to "table veto," or pretend to think about signing the bill, then after ten days of no action it is automatically vetoed. But who the hell am I, and if I were advising the president I would have urged him to sign it. I hope the next Republican president has the sense to undo what was done today, as well as rescind the president's 2001 Executive Order limiting federal funding for stem cell research, because the future of degenerative disease is hanging in the balance.
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