McCain finally answered ScienceDebate2008's 14 questions this past week, and the position he takes in those answers is different from his 2007 position on stem cell research - so different that he now wants to criminalize research on "cells or fetal tissue from an embryo created for research purposes."
Wired calls this a "sharp right turn" and quotes Thomas Murray, president of the Hastings Center, a nonpartisan bioethics think tank, as saying that McCain's new position is "a far leap from anything resembling current U.S. policy."
McCain's own YouTube channel highlights stem cell research in an ad they uploaded less than a week ago here where the announcer says, "Change is coming!"
I guess they mean change to a more rigid policy that's closer to what Palin has supported than anything John McCain's proposed before, well, this week.
In fact, last year, in the GOP primary debate on May 3, 2007 at Reagan Library, McCain said:
I believe that we need to fund this. This is a tough issue for those of us in the pro-life community. I would remind you that these stem cells are either going to be discarded or perpetually frozen. We need to do what we can to relieve human suffering. It's a tough issue. I support federal funding.
In 2004, he was a signatory on a letter to Bush, prompted, it seems, by articles like this one in Wired, that said:
...since the [embryonic stem cell research] policy went into effect more than two years ago, we have learned that the embryonic stem cell lines eligible for federal funding will not be suitable to effectively promote this research. We therefore feel it is essential to relax the restrictions in the current policy for this research to be fully explored.
Among the difficult challenges with the current policy are the following:
* While it originally appeared that 78 embryonic stem cell lines would be available for research, only 19 are available to researchers.
* All available stem cell lines are contaminated with mouse feeder cells, making their therapeutic use for humans uncertain.
* It is increasingly difficult to attract new scientists to this area of research because of concerns that funding restrictions will keep this research from being successful.
* Despite the fact that U.S. scientists were the first to derive human embryonic stem cells, leadership in this area of research is shifting to other countries.
(Pulled from OnTheIssues.org)
Here's a transcript of last week's ad:
John McCain will lead his Congressional allies to improve America's health.
Stem cell research to unlock the mystery of cancer, diabetes, heart disease.
Stem cell research to help free families from the fear and devastation of illness.
Stem cell research to help doctors repair spinal cord damage, knee injuries, serious burns.
Stem cell research to help stroke victims.
And, John McCain and his Congressional allies will invest millions more in new NIH medical research to prevent disease.
Medical breakthroughs to help you get better, faster.
So misleading.
And a personal note. My grandfather died over 30 years ago. He was a fervent Republican - the man never even turned against Nixon! But he was a scientist first and foremost, and a groundbreaking one in his time.
He fought against those who believed that transplants were against God's will - because in doing so, you were interfering with nature, and violating bodily and spiritual integrity.
He would be horrified by what his party has done to scientific education and research.