Date: July 29, 2004
From: Jerry Falwell

THE GATHERING STORM ON STEM CELL RESEARCH

On Tuesday night, Ron Reagan Jr., addressing the Democratic National
Convention, vigorously endorsed federally-funded research for embryonic stem
cell research.

In his speech, Mr. Reagan laid out the plan for using lab-created human
embryos - which are destroyed - in scientific research.  While I respect him
for his concern for people who need help, there are legitimate moral issues
that are in play regarding the destruction of human embryos.  Furthermore,
scientists are successfully using adult stem cells - which do not require
the destruction of human life - to make many scientific gains.

SCIENCE, BIBLICAL VALUES & ATTACK DOGS

On CNN's "Crossfire" on Wednesday, Democrat gadfly James Carville five times
accused me of leading a "right-wing" assault on federally-funded embryonic
stem cell research.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Mr. Carville
also suggested that opposing federal funding for this type of research is
"loony" and "nutty."  He's always so charming, you know.

So, with Mr. Carville's typically hysterical charges in mind, let me spell
out the heartfelt concerns of people of faith who want to safeguard all
stages of human life.

Most pro-life people believe that life begins at conception or
fertilization; that is the foundation for being pro-life.  Therefore, we
believe that even embryonic life is something to be cherished and protected
even though, as Ron Reagan noted, these lives have no arms or legs or
discernible signs of what we recognize as humanity.

The fact is, most liberal politicians and pundits long ago sold their souls
to the abortion-rights movement that is responsible for the million or so
abortions in America each year.  We can't really expect the abortion-rights
community to understand our regard for life when they have already
disregarded 40 million aborted lives.  What we can expect is the usual
flurry of accusations that we are "right-wing" zealots who are out of touch
with what the left has determined to be the "mainstream."

Our ethics on life cannot be offhandedly modified simply because an arm of
science demands it or because the left calls us names.  Once we begin to
adapt our ethics because of political heat there is literally no telling
where we could arrive in terms of completely manipulating innocent life.

President of The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity John Kilner, Ph.D.,
said this week, "History is littered with misguided attempts to relieve
suffering by cutting ethical corners."

That is a warning that should be readily heeded.

ADULT STEM CELLS

Dr. Kilner further noted that "all that Ron Reagan advocated can be achieved
through adult stem cell research.  But he amazingly never mentioned adult
stem cells.  Instead, his misleading language covered up the fact that
producing the cells he seeks requires cloning human beings and then
destroying them.  Cloning and killing are too high an ethical price to pay,
particularly when there is another safe way to develop the same cures."

Noting that the federal government will in fact spend about $28 million on
embryonic stem cell research this year, the organization wants more money
spent on adult stem cell research where 45 diseases are currently being
treated and new treatments are on the way.

Here's the most important thing - embryonic stem cell research, according to
Dr. Kilner, has yet to be used as a treatment in even one disease.

In Colorado Springs, Focus on the Family Senior Bioethics Analyst Carrie
Gordon Earll also touted adult stem cell research: "The claim that embryonic
stem cells are the long-sought cure to illnesses such as cancer, Parkinson's
and diabetes is misleading at best and unethical at worst.  The practice of
harvesting cells from the youngest and most vulnerable members of the human
family in the hope of successfully treating these conditions is barbaric and
unnecessary.  While adult stem cells are showing great promise in being used
to develop therapies, embryonic stem cells have shown just the opposite:
tests have produced tumors in lab animals and there's no reason to think
that would not be repeated in human trials.  Our government has no business
in subsidizing the calculated destruction of any more of our children."

The Democrats conveniently forget to mention this information.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins is leading the call for
Republicans to take the momentum in this debate.

"The Republicans," he said, "need to invite President Reagan's other son,
Michael, to deliver a prime time address at their convention in order to
reiterate the truth about President Reagan - that he was unabashedly pro-
life, believing that life begins at conception."

Here's the bottom line: The Democrats want Americans to think that if you
oppose embryonic stem cell research you must be a right-wing whacko with "an
axe to grind."  But as I've discussed, our concerns are legitimate and the
options are sound.  It is indeed imperative that the Republicans sensibly
lay out the problems of tampering with innocent life while also promoting
scientific programs that are already proving successful.