[AFPhys]

Well, now that I've read his speech and mulled it over a bit, at least one thing is clear:

He has not "flip-flopped".

His 2001 statements are entirely consistent with today.

He makes good points that researchers know quite a bit more about this issue than they did four years ago, and that ongoing review is important and adjustments may be important.

I'm still not sure what I, being VERY PRO LIFE, think about this. I have a feeling that a bill that Frist supports would be much more "ethical" than the House-passed bill, and such a bill would be more protective of life than any other likely alternative. I've got loads of issues about whether the Fed ought to be involved at all in this unless we decided to ban it, and his 'NIH has a better chance of regulating this if we're involved in funding it' argument is probably truth.

I respect what each of you think here, too.

This is a very difficult issue.

[Yaelle]

Why don't they just use all cord blood that the parents don't want to keep? Very few can afford to store their child's own cord blood. Babies are born every day. It doesn't destroy anything.

[standingfirm]

Just chiming in here....ESC research is already going on in the private sector and has been for some time, correct? How come we haven't already seen these "breakthroughs" in cures for diseases. Does the private sector lack funding? Is this the problem. Is the private sector already paying people to donate embryos?

Also, for thought, Is this something Big Pharmaceutical would be interested in? I think so. Is this why Frist is SO INTERESTED in Gov't spending on this issue? Would there be anything in it for him?

Just a few questions for thought.

[Pukin Dog]

Read it again.

He flopped like a stuck fish.

Pro life has one meaning and is not subject to ambiguity.

You either preserve human life, ALL HUMAN LIFE, or you don't.

Frist uses careful language to appear thoughtful, but in reality, he is trying to create a cloud to hide in. He things this will win him media respect, and it might, but he has lost the respect of his most important base.

No way will he run for President now.

[My2Cents]

Thanks for including me on your ping. I shot from the hip earlier, and will need to mull this over as well, but I cannot accept the notion of considering human embryoes as some commodity for research purposes. I'm all for pushing stem cell research -- using adult stem cells, cord blood stem cells, and placenta stem cells, and so forth. I have yet to see compelling evidence that embryonic stem cell research has the "promise" that its proponents claim; to the contrary, what I've read of embryonic stem cell research, it's pretty unpromising.

[TheDon]

This is a very difficult issue.

Only for those without a conscience.