The Scoop: We should Pledge to stem cell research

The result of a recent federal court ruling in San Francisco involving the Pledge of Allegiance is ridiculous.

I’m referring to the decision made by Judge Lawrence Karlton that ruled the individual rights of school children are being violated by the words “under God.”

I still remember putting my hand to my heart, standing proudly before the flag, and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in grade school. It’s a sign of dignity and respect. It’s one of the things that makes this country great.

When children can’t stand up and say the Pledge of Allegiance in the United States, folks I have to tell you we’re heading the wrong way.

Supreme Court chief justice nominee John Roberts has been intentionally vague on the issues he supports during his recent Senate hearings. In true lawyer form, you don’t really know what Roberts means and what he doesn’t. I call it the art of talking without saying anything.

But if Roberts can keep the Pledge of Allegiance in our classrooms, he has my vote.

That’s not the main question on the mind of most legislators. All they want to talk about is the “A” word — abortion. That’s not a fight I want to enter, but I do want to talk about something a vast many Americans associate with abortion and that’s stem cell research.

From everything I’ve heard, the people who oppose expanded embryonic stem cell research do so because they believe it’s killing embryos which will eventually become human life. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is a heart transplant surgeon and an expert on stem cell research. I heard him address this exact topic on a visit to McMinnville last month.

There are approximately 400,000 embryos in freezer storage throughout the country. Of those, around 100,000 are destroyed each year. Frist is among those who want to take those embryos headed for destruction and conduct meaningful, life-saving research on them.

“I’ve heard some people say this research will get people out of a wheelchair in a year and that’s not going to happen,” Frist said candidly. “But these cells can replicate themselves for years and no other cells can do this. Ten years down the road, there’s no telling where this research could lead.”

Frist said diabetes and Parkinson’s disease are two illnesses in which patients could see remarkable advances thanks to continued stem cell research. If that’s the case, I see no reason this research shouldn’t be aggressively pursued.

It might be fine to stand up for principles, but when those principals are so out of touch they keep school children from saying the Pledge of Allegiance, it’s up to us as a society to stand up for what’s right.

It’s the same way with stem cell research. When ideals put the value of a frozen embryo higher than the life of someone’s wife and someone’s mother, we have a real problem.

Frist made an interesting analogy when talking about his profession as a gifted heart transplant surgeon.

“This was once a very controversial issue whether we should take a heart from one person and put it in another,” said Frist. “But I’ve been doing it now for 20 years and it’s a procedure that gets done everyday.”

When the well-being of Americans is at stake, I stand behind Frist in his vision to fully pursue stem cell research. Hey, I just thought of something. Maybe this guy wouldn’t be a bad candidate for president.

James Clark is editor of the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].