Bush's Compassionless Conservatism.

A lawsuit was filed May 29, 2001, in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia against Tommy G. Thompson, in his capacity as Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Ruth Kirschstein, in her capacity as acting director of the National Institutes of Health, charging the Bush administration with illegally withholding funds from research that could lead to a cure for paralysis and other devastating conditions and diseases. The lawsuit, brought by actor Christopher Reeve and seven scientists, argues that Thompson and Kirschstein have violated the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993, which "prohibits the executive branch from withholding funding for human pluripotent stem cell research and contravenes the defendants' statutory duty to fund scientifically meritorious research projects."

The lawsuit points out that "there is a long tradition in biomedical research of utilizing fetal tissue to develop life-saving techniques." For example, the 1954 Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to U.S. immunologists who developed the polio vaccine based on cultures of human fetal kidney cells. Despite this history, research was halted in 1988 by a moratorium on federal funding of research involving transplantation of fetal tissue. President Clinton, however, ordered the ban lifted in January 1993, and the NIH Revitalization Act issued later that year "affirmatively prohibits the executive branch of government from interfering with research involving human fetal tissue." After extensive congressional hearings and debate, the NIH published its final Guidelines for Research Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells on August 25, 2000, providing, among other things, that NIH funds may be used for stem cell research.

According to the lawsuit, "The defendants' failure to implement the guidelines and begin the process for federal funding of human pluripotent stem cell research has caused, is causing, and will continue to cause irreparable harm to the plaintiffs and the public interest." And the public is interested. A nationwide poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation International found that 74 percent of those queried favor federal funding of stem cell research by the NIH.

Stem cell research also has the support of the medical community. Scientists first isolated stem cells, the master cells for human development, in 1998 and believe that they could hold the key to curing spinal cord injuries, heart disease, juvenile diabetes, cancer, ALS, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and many other afflictions. On January 17, 2001, 123 patient, research, and academic institutions wrote to George W. Bush expressing their strong support for federal funding of stem cell research. In March a new advocacy group--the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research--was organized specifically to ensure that federal funds are available for embryonic stem cell research and that the NIH guidelines overseeing the research are supported. Among the founding members of the CAMR are the American Society for Cell Biology, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, the Parkinson's Action Network, Harvard University, the University of Wisconsin, Washington University at St. Louis, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation.

Disregarding the advice of medical professionals, Bush continues to oppose the research. His press secretary, Ari Fleischer, has reiterated numerous times Bush's campaign statement that he "would oppose federally funded research for experimentation on embryonic stem cells that require live human embryos to be discarded or destroyed." He also opposes using fetal tissues from induced abortions but believes "we can find stem cells from fetuses that died a natural death."

According to CAMR, in contrast to work with adult cells:

   The enormous promise and potential therapeutic value of human embryonic
   stem cells is based on a substantial body of research generated over the
   past twenty years with mouse embryonic stem cells. This research and the
   existing work on human embryonic stem cells strongly suggest that embryonic
   stem cells are capable of generating many, if not all, of the cell types
   that make up a human organism

and therefore offer the best hope for finding a cure to a multitude of diseases and conditions.

It is inappropriate in this instance for Bush to allow laypeople and religious leaders to dictate public policy--not to mention the science--that affects all citizens and offers hope to those suffering worldwide. But it's also not the first instance of Bush enacting policy that hurts people or failing to enact policy that will provide benefits.

He demonstrated his disregard for the voice of U.S. citizens and the needs of people around the world when he reestablished the global ban on federal funding of international family planning during his first week in office. His action overturned previously established policy and inhibits international organizations from providing necessary services to women and children from all nations merely because of his personal objection to abortion services and pressure from his conservative religious supporters. Regardless that the funding wouldn't have been used for those services, his action resulted in vital funding being withheld from the poor and needy for information and access to birth control, nutritional assistance, and other medical services. His decision adversely affects population growth control and the security of all.

So where is the "compassion" in George W. Bush's conservatism? This question has been asked time and again since he assumed office in January and will likely be asked many times more over the next three-and-a-half years. Citizens need to be vigilant and active in encouraging the president, as well as their legislators, to meet their obligation to fund such programs as stem cell research and family planning which offer the best hope for health and happiness of all people.

Karen Ann Gajewski is an editor at the Humanist.