WASHINGTON, Mar. 9 /Christian Newswire/ -- Today the Susan B. Anthony List responded to President Barack Obama's decision to reverse President Bush's policy of allowing taxpayer funding for embryonic stem cell research without encouraging the further destruction of nascent human life. Obama's latest executive order allows for billions in taxpayer funds to be directed toward embryonic stem cell research.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of the Susan B. Anthony List, released the following statement:
"Compassion can never be built upon callous disregard for human life. True scientific integrity is advancing successful science that respects moral standards and the inherent value of human life at all stages. Our country is facing an acute economic crisis, and it is shocking to learn that President Obama's first priority is promoting the idea that American taxpayers should fund the destruction of human life.
"There is no coincidence that this policy reversal was timed to secure the maximum amount of taxpayer funds. The National Institutes of Health received $10.4 billion dollars in the Obama Stimulus Package. Today's executive order reversing the Bush policy allows the President to fast-track billions of taxpayer dollars toward embryonic stem cell research - all without the benefit of public or Congressional debate.
"This decision comes on the heels of several executive decisions to fund the destruction of human life at taxpayers' expense. Already President Obama has directed American tax dollars toward international abortion providers by overturning the pro-life Mexico City Policy. His decision to fund the United Nations Population Fund will subsidize the destruction of unborn children around the world. Add these decisions to his expected rollback of conscience protections for pro-life medical professionals and we find an alarming trend: respect for human life, and the consciences of American taxpayers even, are both dismissed in favor of an abortion industry bailout and the funding of immoral science that has yet to yield a single success."
Federal funding for embryonic stem cell research has been in place since August 2001. Since then, funding has reached $40 million per year for the research. Despite this funding, all the recent advances in stem cell technologies have been derived from adult stem cells harvested without destroying human life. To date, adult stem cells have been used to develop over 70 treatments in human patients.
The Susan B. Anthony List is a nationwide network of Americans, over 152,000 residing in all 50 states, dedicated to mobilizing, advancing, and representing pro-life women in politics. Its connected Candidate Fund increases the percentage of pro-life women in the political process.
www.sba-list.org
Speaking against this decision is Catholic League president Bill Donohue:
"When President Bush placed restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, there was no way for scientists to approximate the effectiveness inherent in embryonic stem cells. But that is no longer the case. Last fall, Harvard University stem cell researcher Konrad Hochedlinger announced that he was able to coax adult cells to regress into an embryonic state. Scientists everywhere were ecstatic.
"It is precisely because there are ethical alternatives to killing embryos that President Obama's decision is doubly flawed: (a) it is immoral to intentionally destroy nascent human life, and (b) it is even more irresponsible to do so when morally acceptable alternatives exist.
"Obama has stepped on a slope so slippery that many of his supporters may eventually regret he did so. It is not for nothing that Germany has the most rigorous ethical guidelines on human research. Our model should be 21st century Germany—not 20th century Germany."
