Ill Sen. Specter Backs Stem Cell Research (Major crack in the GOP Dam

[wakeme2008]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/science/AP-Stem-Cells-Specter.html

May 25, 2005
Ill Sen. Specter Backs Stem Cell Research
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 6:10 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Arlen Specter, newly bald from chemotherapy treatments for Hodgkin's disease, held himself up on Wednesday as Exhibit A for the possible benefits of embryonic stem cell research.

A day after the House voted to overturn President Bush's prohibition on federal funding for research using cells from human embryos fertilized after 2001, Specter said similar action by the Senate would give hope to himself and others with Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and cancer.

The Pennsylvania Republican called Bush's promise to veto any relaxation of his restrictions on funding stem cell research an affront to millions of people with diseases that might be treated or even cured with federal dollars propelling the science.

//more at link //

[SW FL Dem]

1. WOW - I am pleasantly surprised.

Amazing what a reality check does.

[dArKeR]

28. Surprised to know what a sleazy Repuke actually is? A Repuke cares

nothing about anyone or anything except themselves and the amount of wealth and power they can accumulate. If aWol's daughter or Pickles the Murderer had cancer you'd see aWol vommit the same tune.

[PittPoliSci]

2. did he ever oppose stem cell research?

i don't think he did, in all honesty.

[customerserviceguy]

4. He's Jewish

Jews don't generally have problems with abortion-oriented issues, and apparently, neither do Mormons, as both Harry Reid and Orrin Hatch are for the stem cell research bill.

[PittPoliSci]

7. i know Specter's pro-choice...

that's why i didn't find this very shocking at all.

[dArKeR]

31. He's a liar, immoral and corrupt at the very least because everyone,

at least on the DU and people who listen to AAR, know that the Bush Crime Family has caused 90% of the American amputees/deaths in Iraq because of their war profiteering. (As facts stated in articles on the DU/AAR.)

The Bush Crime Family is daily stealing oil to cash from Iraq.

8 billion dollars is missing in Iraq, (what we know of.)

Clear evidence os voter fraund by repukes in most every state.

Plume.

The 1000 lies The Bush Crime Family made about Iraq to go in and murder and steal.

The Liberal Media, when it's controlled by repuke corps...

But not a peep of honestly out of Specter.

[calico1]

6. I had also thought he was in favor of it all along. n/t

[wakeme2008]

8. But from the article

''I look in the mirror every day, barely recognize myself,'' he said. ''And not to have the availability of the best of medical care is simply atrocious.''


And if he can see it, all the other Senators can see it too. Major problem for Bush.... IMHO...

[PA Democrat]

16. I can't imagine that he would. He's always been pro-choice. n/t

[Inland]

3. As in sick, not as in Illinois. You keep him, pennsylvanians.

[I Have A Dream]

11. Don't want him -- never did & never will...

I really think that you should give us Barak Obama. Fair trade, don't cha think??? ;o) (Oh, just let me dream for a little bit before I have to go back to reality...)

However, he IS much better than Santorum, who actually makes me feel physically ill every time I hear or read anything about him.

[Inland]

13. You can have Allen Keyes.

Welcome to DU.

[I Have A Dream]

14. This made me really laugh...

I'm sitting here really seriously considering this. (It's like a parent making you decide what kind of punishment you want, and all of the options are equally horrible.)

Guess I'd have to say that I'd take Keyes because Santorum currently has too much power and can really do a lot of damage without much effort. However, saying this is making me gag.

Thanks for the welcome!

[TiredTexan]

22. Welcome to DU from Texas

where we have Cornyn and Hutchinson. Arghhhhhhhhhh

[JDPriestly]

5. Wonderful.

It's odd to me that no one seems shocked when a couple decides to have another child in order to provide a donor match for an existing child for some treatment, yet they consider using embryos that will eventually be thrown away or remain frozen throughout eternity to be immoral.

OK. Let's say hypothetically that a soul enters the embryo and egg at the second they meet. That would mean that every fertilized egg would have a soul -- would be a person from a spiritual point of view. What would be better for the soul, from a religious point of view -- to stay frozen in that fertilized egg for eternity or to be released from the fertilized egg in the process of healing someone? Isn't the whole idea kind of nutty? The minute you accept the hypothesis, you enter a totally illogical realm -- like Alice's Wonderland.

By the way, although I disagree with most of his stances on the issues, I'm sorry to hear that Senator Spector has Hodgkin's disease.

[kodi]

25. once i heard it sung, "every sperm is sacred."

btw: you forgot about identical twins. unless they share a soul.

[SeveneightyWhoa]

9. Check out what Orrin Hatch said:

"But another leading anti-abortion senator, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said embryonic stem cell research must proceed. “I don’t take a backseat to anyone in the pro-life movement and I understand why this form of stem cell research troubles some.”

But he said the embryos at in-vitro fertilization clinics don’t constitute human life. “I reached the conclusion that human life does not begin in a petri dish … It requires a mother’s womb,’’ added Hatch."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/05/25/stemcell2525.DTL

[Dave Reynolds]

10. But but but..

is not conception conception, no matter what the vessel?

Just kidding, it is nice to see someone show a little reasoning in this debate. Good luck to him convincing the Fristians.

[Inland]

15. Very little, as you point out.

In womb, out of womb--looks like he is doing a backflip to get to the result he wanted, namely, using the embryos in the fertility clinic while forcing women to carry their embryos to term by conveniently defining human life as in the womb.

[dansolo]

18. What about the morning after pill?

The morning after pill prevents implantation in the womb, so by his definition, he should have no objection to it. Anyone know what his position on it is?

[Inland]

19. I was wondering about that, but don't worry==

he would have some other reason why that too was different.

If there's a woman that Hatch can commandeer, he'll find a distinction that let's him do it. It's about control over the wombs and the women, not the embryo. No woman to press into service, no problems destroying the embryo.

[customerserviceguy]

29. Reasoning? Hatch?

He just wants the baby incubators (that's women, to the rest of you out there in the USA) here in the reddest of the red, Utah, to keep churning out those voters. If they're not implanted, they cannot become fully functioning Mormons.

[goclark]

12. Well said, Sen. Hatch nt

[Hand]

24. Fuck him, by the way.

The only reason he's come to this conclusion is because a close relative suffers from a disease--Parkinson's, possibly--that could be cured via stem cell research.

Otherwise he'd be out banging the drum about saving every embryo. He's still the usual pious hypocritical fuck he's always been. He can kiss my ass sideways if I decide he's worthy.

[kodi]

26. Hatch declares "To be human one must be hatched."

.

[Sub Atomic]

17. Wow. That's pretty shocking. Look what it did to Spector

...when he heard.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

20. I'll bet the far right will try to fillibuster any stem cell bill

At least I hope so. Nothing quite like an implosion.

[jamesinca]

23. Sen Brownback said he would

After all the flap over filibustering being a Dem issue, and all the accusations of who was obstructing by the Repugs, the Sen. from Kansas said he would filibuster a stem cell research bill. The day after the "nuclear option" was taken off of the table, Brownback says he will filibuster.

[MadisonProgressive]

21. Too bad the only way the pukes can identify with the plight

of others is to first experience it themselves. I'm still happy for Arlen Specter. Every little crack in the damn helps. Only so many fingers and toes!

[wicket]

27. Here's what Senator Specter looks like now:

I hope he gets better soon!

[DeepModem Mom]

30. kick