I understand what you're saying. I'm not happy about the whole area, personally, but it is clearly something that has to be dealt with. Banning stem cell research isn't going to happen. Banning IVF isn't going to happen, though in MY point of view, that is the moral/ ethical thing to do. Clearly, we need some kind of handle on this situation, and it seems Frist is struggling with how to open a real dialog about how to do that to get the best bill out of it. He's really accurate about the House bill being horrible, and in honesty, there is a very good chance of the President's veto being overridden on this issue, so the bill that is passed better be as good as possible, ethically. I also think it HIGHLY unlikely that legal restrictions and sanctions can ever get passed by the Congress without some type of involvement in funding in reciprocation, though I consider that very odious.
I'm not at all happy about this issue being even on the table, but those are the times we live in, I guess.
As far as timing, the timing is natural, given that the House only recently passed that bill. Frist didn't choose the timing - he responded to the imminent arrival of that bill in the Senate.
I saw Specter and Harking on cspan last night also..after the House REps...
Specter said---no joke---that he and Harkin are even thinking of having a Million Patient March on the Wash. Mall, to get the point across to Bush that this is necessary...and he intimated that even waiting THAT long, (to arrange a march) would mean a lot of people dying UNNECESSARILY!!!
Specter has gone around the bend on this one...and Hatch was on Hannity and Colmes and said that though he respects Bush's stance, BUSH IS JUST WRONG...and that this research is necessary for all of the kids that have horrible diseases, THEN, he hestitated and added...and adults also that are sick..it will help them also...
BLECH...I am afraid that his is gonna pass, and what Hatch was talking about and Specter, is making sure they get enough votes to be VETO PROOF...because Bush is still saying he would veto it...