Add your name to Sen. Levin's letter to the President

Earlier this month, the Senate voted 63-34 to pass the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 (click the link to read the details). President Bush has threatened to veto the bill. As you might recall, Bush used the only veto of his presidency to reject the stem cell bill last year, saying such research "crosses a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect."

My response to that veto echoes Abi's at 604:

Yessiree — the Republican administration has profound respect for the sanctity of life at the cellular level. Too bad it has such criminal disregard for the well being of the finished package.

Sen. Carl Levin has a preemptive response to this latest bill. He's circulating a letter for voters to co-sign urging the president to end his administration's burdensome restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, and he'll be forwarding it to the White House next week. I already signed the letter and received a response from Sen. Levin that needs to be shared for the powerful, eloquent and heart wrenching message it contains:

I want to send my thanks to those who are co-signing my letter to the President urging him to end his administration's burdensome restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. [...]

Many people wrote powerful responses to my message, sharing your personal feelings on this issue. A woman from the Upper Peninsula, whose family recently experienced the heartbreaking effects of her father's Alzheimer's disease, made clear why the President's current policy is so misguided:

"Let me understand - it's okay to throw embryonic cells out in the trash, but it's not okay to use them to develop cures for the human race? And it's okay to allow human beings to live a tortured life of existence only to leave their family with less than nothing but pain that overshadows a lifetime of memories? But it's inhumane to use embryonic stem cells to ease this suffering. Is this not God's free will wasted?" [emphasis mine]

Her letter is a compelling reminder of the human cost of further delay. Every day that we unnecessarily restrict stem cell research is another day lost in discovering the potentially life-saving cures it may unlock.

If you agree and wish to sign Sen. Levin's letter to the President urging him to lift the restrictions on stem cell research and to make life-saving cures possible, please click here.

Bush Acted on His Personal Convictions

The Detroit News had this to say about President Bush's veto on funding for embryonic stem cell research:

The president acted on strong personal convictions in vetoing a bill that passed through Congress with solid bipartisan support. [...] But the president believes human life begins at conception, and that allowing fertility clinics to donate their surplus frozen embryos for stem cell research would be killing humans for medical experimentation.

From a moral standpoint, this was a complex decision. Embryonic stem cell research offers hope for curing a wide range of neurological and genetic ailments. Most researchers are adamant that embryonic stem cells are far superior to adult stem cells for research.

And the discarded embryos are destined to be destroyed anyway, prompting many pro-life congressmen to ask, "If they can be used to possibly save lives, why not?"

The president should have followed their reasoning and withheld his veto.

The president acted on strong personal convictions? What about acting on the will of the people? Isn't that why we call ourselves a democracy?

Bush bases his conviction on religion and the belief that human life begins at conception, but that belief is not universal among religions. People of faith see this in numerous ways, so we'll never have a definitive answer if we continue to view this through the prism of religion. (Personally, as a Christian, I view all good medical advancements as a gift from God to alleviate our suffering.)

That brings us back to our democracy. The majority of people in this country want funding for stem cell research, so the issue should be decided democratically. Instead of acting on personal principle, the president should have acted according to the will of the people. Will that make some people unhappy? Of course, but that's our system of government. We all live under majority rule and the consequences of that rule.

Where Do We Turn Now on Stem Cells?

So much for by the people and for the people. In spite of the fact that nearly 70% of Americans favor embryonic stem cell research, Bush used his first-ever veto today to stop the discovery of new cures for diseases like juvenile diabetes, Alzheimer's, leukemia and many others. His reason for the veto?

Each of these human embryos is a unique human life, with inherent dignity and matchless value. ...These boys and girls are not spare parts.

What about the boys and girls losing body parts because of his war in Iraq and Afghanistan?

And what about the dignity and matchless value of those people suffering from debilitating diseases? Gov. Granholm touched on this in a personal letter she sent to Bush. [Via For My Amusement Only]

"If our nation is serious about improving both the cost and quality of health care, we must tap the full power of modern science to combat life-threatening illnesses in an ethically responsible manner," Granholm wrote. "The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act enables our nations researchers to do just that."

Granholm earlier called on our Republican controlled Legislature to end the state's ban on embryonic stem cell research as lots of other states have done. (California recently passed a proposal allocating $3 billion to stem cell research.) Their failure to do so is costing our state money, jobs and talented scientists as they flee to other states where this is allowed.

Where does embryonic cell stem research go from here? Congress said they would try for an override veto, but without additional Republicans on board it isn't likely to pass. We could also hope for an initiative petition to get stem cells on the ballot in 2008 if the Legislature doesn't act before then - also highly unlikely.

Don't look for a change at the top to help either. Zack @ Pohlitics believes, "There is absolutely no way this will change if we make the AMWAY DICK our new governor, come November." I have to agree with that call too. DeVos is already on record as saying he opposes embryonic stem cell research.

The best chance we have is to elect a new Democratic Congress in November.