“We believe this should be put on the front of the legislative burner,” DFLA said.
“We will work with the President to pass this landmark abortion reduction bill and we are hopeful that he will see the PWSA is a far better way to work with pro-life Democrats than focusing on divisive issues that highlight our differences on issues dealing with life and the unborn.”
Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) Executive Director Kristen Day told CNA in a Wednesday phone interview that the decision has prompted many pro-life Democrats to report that they are re-examining their recent support for President Obama as they contemplate the direction of their party.
Saying that the overturning of the Bush-era executive order was “a little disappointing,” she added, “We were hoping that Congress could have an opportunity to look into this.”
Although President Obama said in his speech announcing the executive order that the limitations implemented by President Bush forced "a false choice between sound science and moral values," he did not specify how moral values could allow the scientific experiments, but merely ignored any moral objections in the name of science.
Kristen Day explained to CNA that “There are moral concerns here. We’re using human embryos. Is it okay to sacrifice one life or many lives to save another? This is something we really should be treading carefully on.
“We’re opposed to using the human embryos and experimenting on them. The end doesn’t justify the means.
“The unfortunate thing about this whole debate has been the confusion around it. Media reports talk about ‘stem cell research’ and there’s no distinction made between adult stem cell research and embryonic stem cell research.
“If people started to distinguish between them, I think there’d be a big shift in support.
“So much has been done and so many cures using adult stem cell research… If you look at adult and umbilical and placental stem cell research, we have cures. Cures for leukemia, cures for sickle-cell anemia.
“We should really be focusing our time and effort on what works. We should probably be using our limited funds, especially in this economy, to use things that are actually working.
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CNA asked about legislators’ proposals to codify the president’s executive order in law.
“Really I think a better effort would be to step back. Let’s not rush anything,” Day said. “A lot of people need to be educated about what is going on.”
Day also lamented the “false hope” generated by the claim that President Obama’s executive order is going to cure people.
Asked about other proposals on embryonic stem cell research, such as efforts to overturn the Dickey-Wicker Amendment which bars funding for research which creates or destroys human embryos, she replied:
“We suspected they would come up, given the way things have gone this Congress so far.”
Day said the DFLA had been talking to Obama staffers during the presidential campaign and during the presidential transition on the Mexico City Policy, but not on embryonic stem cell research policy.