Focus on The Family sent out the following press statement today regarding stem cell research:
"Sen. Frist coming out in favor of the bill," she (US Rep. Diana DeGette) told the Denver Post, "helps pro-life Republicans understand this is reasonable.
"Since we passed the bill through the House in May, I've been approached, and I know everyone else here has, too, by hundreds of citizens," she said following Frist's floor statement announcing his support of her bill. "And I've gotten thousands of phone calls and e-mails. And people are very thankful that the House passed a bill that will give hope to so many millions of Americans."
The fuel for the momentum DeGette refers to, however, is false hope. Frist relied on it in his Friday statement on the floor of the Senate—offering no real evidence touting successful embryonic research.
"Cure today may be just a theory, a hope, a dream," he said. "But the promise is powerful enough that I believe this research deserves our increased energy and focus. Embryonic stem cell research must be supported."
Carrie Gordon Earll, Focus on the Family Action's senior analyst for bioethics, disagreed, noting that no cures have come from embryonic stem-cell research, even though hundreds of millions dollars have been spent. The true hope, she explained, comes from trials involving "adult" stem cells—those taken from such sources as umbilical cord blood.
"It's sad that advocates of destructive embryo research are misrepresenting the science to patients and their families," Earll explained.
And who is Carrie Gordon Earll? A doctor? A researcher?
Nope. She has Masters of Arts degree (a 30-hour program) from Trinity International University – a conservative religious school with no graduate level science programs.
I don't mind that someone with no scientific education has an opinion on stem cell research - and good people can come to different conclusions on these issues. The senior analyst for bioethics at Focus on the Family might even be qualified to make a good argument on the ethics of stem cell research (the area her degree relates to). But Focus on the Family should stick to making theological arguments and leave the science to people who actually know something about it.
Or does science just not matter at all to the religious right?
In this case, I’ll take Dr. Bill Frist’s advice (Harvard Medical School graduate and pro-life Republican senator).
Related Post: Support For Embryonic Stem Cell Research Is A Christian Position
Related Link: Harvard Stem Cell Institute
