The Baltimore Sun;October 24, 2006 Tuesday
Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin began last night airing a new television advertisement in which actor Michael J. Fox talks of his support for research that he says could lead to advances in treatment for Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other conditions.
Over the weekend, Cardin affirmed his support for legal access to abortion
And today, Cardin plans to be host of a roundtable discussion, at the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute in the Inner Harbor, on the importance of embryonic stem cell research.
The developments reflect a continued effort by Cardin to draw Steele into a debate on issues in which the congressman appears to hold an advantage with Marylanders. State polls have consistently shown that a majority of voters support abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research - positions held by Cardin, the Democratic nominee. Steele, the Republican nominee, opposes both.
At Johns Hopkins yesterday, representatives of the newly formed Scientists and Engineers for America encouraged students and faculty to assume a more active role in politics. The 6,000-member group, which includes 14 Nobel laureates, is trying to affect close races in eight states by encouraging science-minded people to vote.
Mike Brown, the group's executive director, said Bush's policy on embryonic stem cell research was based on political ideology instead of sound science.
"Steele supports the president's restrictions on stem cell research," Brown said. "The distinction between Steele and Cardin is clear."
Peter C. Agre, who won the 2003 Nobel Prize in chemistry, paraphrased Dante, telling the crowd of about 150 that "the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a moral crisis fail to act."
Brown said the pro-science group was formed in mid-September and is really aimed at the 2008 presidential election. "We're probably too late to have a great impact on the midterm elections," he said.
The stem cell discussion, which Cardin will attempt to keep going with an appearance in Baltimore this morning with researcher Curt Civin, follows a weekend in which he was the keynote speaker at an event sponsored by NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland.