Christian newswire: HEADS EXPLODING over Frist/stem cell "flip-flop"

[Bluebear]

http://www.earnedmedia.org/cdc0729.htm

Frist Can No Longer Consider Himself Pro-Life & Vote to Expand Funding for Embryonic Stem Cell Research says Christian Defense Coalition
"Senator First should not expect support and endorsement from the pro-life community if he votes for embryonic research funding." --Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney

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WASHINGTON, July 29 /Christian Wire Service/ -- The National Clergy Council, that has consistently supported Senator Bill Frist, today strongly denounced him for his announced support of embryonic stem cell research.

The Reverend Rob Schenck (pronounced SHANK), National Clergy Council President, issued this statement on behalf of the Council's executive committee representing church leaders of Catholic, Evangelical, Orthodox and Protestant traditions
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WASHINGTON, July 29 /Christian Wire Service/ -- The 17,000 member Christian Medical Association, headquartered in Tennessee, today lamented Sen. Bill Frist's (R-Tenn.) decision to pursue legislation and policies that would allow further destruction of human embryos in research to extract their stem cells.

"We deeply regret Sen. Frist's endorsement of an embryonic stem cell research policy that would turn living human beings into commodities for exploitation," said CMA Executive Director David Stevens, M.D. "We have appreciated the senator's thoughtful and principled stances on life issues in the past and are extremely disappointed to see what we consider a crucial moral lapse on this critical issue."

"As physicians, we understand the pressure to seek treatments from all possible sources, but we must remain committed to insuring that life-honoring ethics guide our decisions. Treating living human embryos as mere fodder for experimentation crosses a vital ethical line and contravenes the sanctity of human life.

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HARRISBURG, Pa., July 29 /Christian Wire Service/ -- The Catholic bishops of Pennsylvania today released a joint statement, Questions and Answers on Stem Cell Research. The document is intended to serve as an educational tool for clarifying the Church's teaching on the issue and explaining why embryonic stem cell research is morally unacceptable.
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WASHINGTON, July 29 /Christian Wire Service/ -- Numerous national pro-life leaders in Washington will assemble for a news conference at 3:00 PM today to address Sen. Bill Frist's break with the White House and the pro-life movement on embryonic stem cell research.

News Conference Details---

When: Friday, July 29, 3 PM

Where: In front of Senator Frist's office, at the entrance to the Hart Senate Office Building, on Constitution Avenue, near 2nd Street, in Washington, DC
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WASHINGTON, July 29 /Christian Wire Service/ -- Concerned Women for America (CWA) expressed disappointment in Majority Leader William Frist's (R-Tennessee) recent decision to go public with his support of embryonic stem-cell research (ESCR). While he had previously claimed to support the President's policy, today Sen. Frist flip-flopped on federal funding of ESCR. He spoke at length on the Senate floor this morning about his concerns with the current policy that restricts the federal funding of ESCR, a failed science that is structured around the destruction of human life.

"It is mystery to us how the senator could claim that he believes life begins at conception and then immediately contradict that statement by adding, 'I also believe embryonic stem-cell research should be encouraged and supported.' It certainly gives one pause in trusting his commitment to the sanctity of life," said Lanier Swann, CWA's director of government relations.

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WASHINGTON, July 29 /Christian Wire Service/ -- Former Presidential candidate Gary L. Bauer expressed "deep disappointment" on Friday over the news that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist would be supporting additional public monies to be spent on the kind of human experimentation known as embryonic stem cell research.

Bauer, the president of American Values, made the following statement: "I am saddened by the news that Senator Frist has abandoned the President by supporting embryonic stem cell research. The senator seems to have bought into the notion that some life can be sacrificed without its consent to benefit other life, and that is a slippery slope with deadly consequences, as history has shown repeatedly. His position is made all the more unfathomable given the actual disease-fighting victories already won in adult and umbilical stem cell research, while embryonic stem cell research has been ineffective. The moral choice here favors the research that is opening up new doors for many. I hope that the Senator will consider putting his support behind the kinds of stem cell research that offers life-giving potential without taking a life in the process."