Washington D.C., Jul 31, 2005 / 22:00 pm
While many Christians and pro-life groups are still decrying Senate Majority leader Bill Frist’s Friday announcement that he favors more federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, many Christian scientists and ethicists are wrestling with what may be an nearly-impossible moral debate.
Frist, who could be a republican front runner for the 2008 presidential election, said that he thinks president Bush’s policy on the controversial research should be extended to include more already existing embryos.
Pulling stem cell lines needed for the research however, necessarily kills the embryo--something the Catholic Church expressly forbids.
President Bush created a plan allowing for research on some already pulled stem cell lines but rejects the idea of spending federal funds to kill more embryos.