Politically Correct Stem Cell Research

The Washington Times reports from Annapolis, MD:

ANNAPOLIS -- Democratic lawmakers have changed the word "embryo" to "material" in a bill for embryonic stem-cell research to secure the votes of Catholic senators who did not want to be viewed as supporting abortion-related legislation.

"They didn't want to vote for a bill that had the language embryo in it," said Sen. Paula C. Hollinger, Baltimore County Democrat and the bill's sponsor.

The bill, which appears certain of passage as early as today, calls for the state to spend $10 million for research on cells extracted from human embryos...

Changing the bill's wording angered Republicans and conservative Democrats, who think that a human embryo is a human life and embryonic research is a form of abortion.

"I'm livid over that issue. Call it what it is," said Sen. James E. DeGrange Sr., an Anne Arundel County Democrat who is supporting a Republican-led filibuster of the bill.

So they didn't actually change the content of the bill, they just played with the language enough for those senators to pretend they aren't voting for embryonic stem cell research.

Both the Times and Post report that while the amendment allows funding of adult stem cell research, it will never happen because other parts of the legislation are written to restrict funding to embryonic research.

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