Former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo (D) had a good op-ed today in the New York Times on the fatal flaws on Bush’s policy on stem-cell research. There was one paragraph, however, that stood out as particularly noteworthy.
To extricate himself from an untenable position, the president should start by following the successful pattern established in other areas of dealing with the clash of religious and political questions, including the law concerning abortion. The right of true believers to live by their own religious beliefs will be guaranteed: no one will be compelled to use stem cell research or its products, just as no one will ever be compelled to have an abortion.
When it comes to abortion, the pro-choice position doesn’t force anyone to do anything they don’t want to do in terms of their personal behavior. If someone wants to abstain from sex, pregnancy, and/or termination of pregnancy, no problem. People can make these decisions on their own without government interference.
So, to follow Cuomo’s logic, why not apply a similar standard to stem-cell research? Modern science can move forward, the United States can start to lead the way in developing treatments for serious ailments, countless patients can benefit from life-saving remedies — and if far-right opponents of the science want to forgo the advances in medicine, that’s entirely up to them. They won’t have to accept, receive, or even acknowledge the existence of these treatments. If they want to encourage others to do the same, they can do that too. But progress will proceed without them.
My friend John and C&L came up with a similar idea — a “Stem Cell Research Living Will” — about a month ago. John was just kidding around a bit, but there may be something to this.
Post Script: There is, of course, the small matter of funding. Undoubtedly, opponents of the science will immediately argue that it’s not enough to merely bypass the medical advances; they also want to prohibit federal funding of the research. In this sense, it’s not just about private decisions. But Cuomo addresses this too.
[O]ur pluralistic political system adopts rights that arise out of consensus, not the dictates of religious orthodoxy; and if such rights are adopted – approving abortions or financing stem cell research on leftover embryos – they will be the law of the land, even if religious dissenters, through their tax dollars, end up helping to pay for things that they find anathema. Every day Americans who abhor the death penalty, contraceptives, abortions and war are required to pay taxes used in part for purposes they consider offensive. That is part of the price we pay for this uniquely successful democracy.
The funding argument has always been flawed anyway. Destroying an embryo is akin to murder, but that’s legally permissible as long as it’s privately financed?