In front of reporters, the Pontiff called the creation of embryos for research a symbol of a, quote, "tragic coarsening of consciences"... Determining the right thing to do on stem cell research has not been so easy for Mr. Bush, and today the Pope only made it harder.
Bob Schieffer's closing commentary on CBS's "Face the Nation," August 5, 2001:
Some thoughts as the President decides whether or not the government should back stem cell research. History's longest argument has been over what to do about the mountain. One group has always wanted to cross the mountain, to explore and see what is on the other side. The other group, no less sincere, has always been willing to let well enough alone. That group worries there might be things on the other side of the mountain we didn't want to know. They were the ones who refused to look through Galileo's telescope. They already knew all they needed to know about the moon and the sun and the stars.... The President says it is the hardest decision he will ever make, but if he reads history, he will know that history remembers those who climbed the mountain, not those who stayed home in fear of the unknown.
[Ed.: As it turns out, adult 'stem' cells do just as good a job of taking on the function of other cells as embryonic cells, perhaps even better, largely obviating the issue.]
