Admittedly, I'm not the best Jew wandering around Penn's campus. I do what I can, but my mother still isn't satisfied that I haven't picked up a nice Jewish boy from Hillel yet. In general terms, I'm not sure how much scripture dictates my judgments of what's right or wrong like it does for many others, of Jewish faith or otherwise.
In the case of stem cell research, many hold the belief that tampering with embryonic cells is equivalent to tampering with human life. Their opinion is largely rooted in Christian belief, something I obviously don't have. And so I have no real reason to come out against further examination, especially when the potential exists for monumental medical advancements. In that regard, I don't see it as a contradiction to support both stem cell research and the current administration.
A friend informed me last year that there are two overarching types of Republicans: the "God is God" Republicans, and the "Money is God" Republicans. It is at this juncture that my libertarian social views isolate me from a good portion of my party. The two don't always negate each other; nevertheless, I sometimes have a hard time reconciling both ideologies. This must be where politics seeps in.
Religion is not the foundation of my political philosophies. When it comes to social issues that this country faces, particularly when we have the opportunity to explore new options to heal the afflicted, we should jump at the chance. Scientists are still nowhere near their ultimate goals of developing cures for diseases or other physical conditions, but it's a step in the right direction.
The recent passing of Christopher Reeve sparked renewed political debate over the possible outcomes of using embryonic stem cells to cure spinal cord injuries. I was so looking forward to viewing this matter as one where I strayed somewhat from the party line, where I could prove that I don't absorb talking points to construct my opinions and take a therapeutic step back from the presidential race.
But then vice presidential hopeful John Edwards went off the deep end and sank into the abyss, essentially dissolving that glimmer of hope for me. In a speech in Iowa on Oct. 11, Edwards proclaimed to a crowd, "If we do the work that we can do in this country, the work that we will do when John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve are going to walk, get up out of that wheelchair and walk again." I suppose from this statement I can infer that another four years under George W. Bush would yield no medical advancements, primarily because he's too pious to fund stem cell research and he'd rather use the money to line Halliburton's pockets -- even though he is the first president to approve federal backing for this endeavor.
I know I shouldn't let myself be surprised, but I am anyway. I really didn't think that Reeve's death would be a tool to exploit Bush's position on stem cells. In any case, I can't justify taking offense at the comment, as inane as it was; I'm not a quadriplegic, and (knock on wood) will hopefully never be one. However, quadriplegics themselves are speaking out on the issue, both in defense of and against the president.
Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer, paralyzed since his time in medical school some 30 years ago, was revolted at such pandering. He wrote that "the implication that Christopher Reeve was prevented from getting out of his wheelchair by the Bush stem cell policies is a travesty. ... There are 22 lines of stem cells now available, up from one just two years ago." Krauthammer also points out that Leon Kass, head of the President's Council on Bioethics, wrote that "there are 3,500 shipments of stem cells waiting for anybody who wants them."
Yet, it's not all wine and roses. Dan Gottlieb of The Philadelphia Inquirer, also a quadriplegic, wrote last week, "We have policy being made by the Bush administration that is based on personal religious dogma and rubber stamped by an obedient Congress. Decisions are made which honor only one's personal beliefs and fail to make genuine eye contact with those who suffer. ... President Bush clings tenaciously to his beliefs and turns his back on everything else."
That's not entirely fair. Krauthammer refutes the existence of a ban on attaining and using embryonic cells: "There is no ban. You want to study stem cells? You get them from the companies that have the cells and apply to the National Institutes of Health for the federal funding."
Let's be realistic. Throwing support behind one candidate or another will neither allow someone to miraculously walk again, nor confine him to a wheelchair and catheter. Stem cell research is at this point far from perfect, and even further from conclusively finding cures for spinal cord injuries, diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's -- but moral or religious opposition, political charges and political affiliation should not impede its progress.
Michelle Dubert is a College sophomore from Closter, N.J. Department of Strategery appears on Thursdays.
