With the tremendous legal victory both for the rule of law and for science this week in relation to stem cell research comes new challenges – specifically the Democratic Leadership attempts to change current protections for human life in exchange for the magic beans of embryonic stem cell research (though that is an unfair comparison to magic beans, at least they grew into a giant beanstalk.)
When Congress returns, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has already scheduled a hearing for September 16 on human embryonic stem cell experimentation.
Meanwhile Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) is pushing for overturning the existing ethical guidelines (known as the annual Appropriations provision as “Dickey-Wicker”) and replace them with her, much weaker ones that allow for destruction of human embryos and, if she has her way, human cloning.
Even their statements used the same tired lines making promises they know, if they were honest with themselves, are questionable at best.
Senator Harkin’s statement “This ruling should be appealed and I fully believe that it will be overturned. Embryonic stem cell research offers hope to millions of Americans who are suffering from debilitating and life-threatening diseases, and it must be allowed to proceed.”
Her statement: “Our nation already lost valuable time over the last decade, when we could have been bringing our massive resources and expertise to bear, expanding stem cell research and helping 100 million American patients living with devastating and debilitating diseases. President Obama’s executive order last year opened a door to hope and promise for those patients, and today, Judge Lamberth has sadly once again closed that door.”
People currently suffering have hope that actually exists in the success we have seen with ethical stem cell research (as seen here at Stem Cell Research Facts.org.) What Senator Harkin, Rep. DeGette and President Obama are selling is more empty political promises.
It is likely that we will see the grandstanding of Senator Harkin first in the Senate, but little action on any specific piece of legislation in that chamber – since they have been proven incompetent in passing anything in normal fashion. The House of Representatives is where these charlatans have their best hope, though we will fight it. Regardless of the outcome in the House I can 100% guarantee that the Democratic Leadership will attach language changing the current protections in a Monsteromnibus (a piece of legislation encompassing everything the Congress failed to pass, and including non-germane items and pork) during a lame duck session after projected losses in the November elections and prior to the new Congress being sworn in.
This is just one more reason we need to get Members of Congress to guarantee that they will not pass any significant and controversial pieces of legislation during a lame duck session and why you should sign our petition at www.dontbealameduck.com