Whaa?? The guy who banned the use of federal funds for embryonic stem cell research (except for existing cell lines) didn't believe that life begins at conception? WTF??
I remember that speech he gave on August 9, 2001 when he banned federal funding of new embryonic stem cell lines. I remember it because, even given the epic logic-mangling he managed to pull off in that run-on non-sequitur of a speech (read it if you need a headache), two sentences jumped out at me, screaming for immediate rebuttal, even as he was delivering the speech. Here are the two sentences, with my emphases to show why I was so taken aback at the time:
Research on embryonic stem cells raises profound ethical questions, because extracting the stem cell destroys the embryo, and thus destroys its potential for life.
Like a snowflake, each of these embryos is unique, with the unique genetic potential of an individual human being.
I tried in a few posts back then (August 9, 2001) to bring this to folks' attention, but about four weeks later I gave up (do the math). Given the
excellent diary currently on the rec list, I thought I'd try again, all these years later.
No explication is necessary, I think.
Heh. I think the squiggle is a chunk of umbilical cord.