Republican Hypocrisy On Stem Cell Research

There is good news and bad news on the issue of stem cell research. The good news is that the Senate voted for funding it. The bad news is that Bush will veto it, and while an override seems close, it ultimately may be out of reach:

Senate OKs stem cell bill; veto likely

WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted Wednesday to ease restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research, ignoring President Bush's threat of a second veto on legislation designed to lead to new medical treatments.

The 63-34 result was four votes shy of the margin needed to enact the measure over presidential opposition.

If the three Democrats (Dodd (D-CT), Johnson (D-SD), Landrieu (D-LA)) who abstained from voting, were to vote to override Bush's expected veto, that would bring the tally to 66-34, one vote away from an override. And if one of the two Democrats (Casey (D-PA), Nelson (D-NE (I am very disappointed in them)) or any of the Republicans who voted against this bill switch their vote for the override (very unlikely), then Bush's veto would be moot (if the House overides it too). However, that is a lot of "if"s, and I do not think that all that will happen.

Federal funding for stem cell research will probably be delayed until after Bush leaves office. As for the Republicans who voted against this, they are are now in for a tough fight to keep their seats, especially those with elections in 2008. Just so I do not forget who they are, here is the list of Republicans who voted against this bill. I'll put a "*" next to the ones whose seats are up for election in 2008 (at least as far as I can remember right now):

Allard (R-CO)*
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Chambliss (R-GA)*
Coburn (R-OK)
Coleman (R-MN)*
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)*
Craig (R-ID)*
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)*
Domenici (R-NM)*
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)*
Graham (R-SC)*
Grassley (R-IA)
Hagel (R-NE)*
Inhofe (R-OK)*
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Martinez (R-FL)
McConnell (R-KY)*
Roberts (R-KS)*
Sessions (R-AL)*
Shelby (R-AL)
Sununu (R-NH)*
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)

The senators who voted against federal funding for stem cell research may feel that they have done the right thing, and I can respect that. However, I also strongly believe that their votes are inherently immoral, and, if they claim to be "pro-life", their vote is hypocritical. I, and many others who feel the same, will strongly campaign against them for this.

Stem cell research has the potential to save lives, and the embryos that would be used for stem cell research will instead be incinerated. They will never have a chance to become a human life, so those who are against stem cell research because they claim it destroys human life are either lying or misguided.

Claiming to be "pro-life" and being against stem cell research is hypocrisy, and on top of this hypocritical "pro-life" position on stem cell research, there is this:

"This legislation crosses a moral line that would use taxpayer dollars to destroy human embryos, and that's a moral line the president said he would not cross, and for those reasons he would veto this bill as well," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

I strongly disagree with those who voted against this stem cell research bill and feel their reasons for doing so are greatly flawed, but I can, at least, understand why those reasons exist. What I do not understand and what makes me immensely irate is the hypocrisy of stating that using taxpayer dollars to "destroy human embryos" crosses a moral line while simultaneously USING TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO DESTROY ACTUAL HUMAN LIVES IN IRAQ! Why do "pro-lifers" like Bush think it is acceptable use taxpayer dollars to destroy American and Iraqi lives? "Pro-lifers" tend to equate embryos with human lives, but by their own ridiculous logic, they seem to value embryos more than our troops.

Additionally, the premises of their argument are aggravatingly false. "Pro-lifers" would not save any embryos from destruction by preventing stem cell research, and their hair-splitting differentiation over the "morality" of whether an embryo is destroyed for stem cell research or just plain destroyed is absurd and, given the potential of stem cell research, possibly deadly.

Bush and his followers may be "anti-stem cell research", but their claim of being "pro-life" is a joke, and it is hypocrisy.