The latest outrageousness from the "pro-life" movement, currently the top headline on the
Boston Globe website:
Romney's ads blast stem cell measure
Governor Mitt Romney will launch a radio ad today describing the state Senate's stem cell measure as a "radical cloning bill" and urging its defeat.
Romney and the theo-cons are ready to stop research that might lead to cures for diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's diseases, and spinal cord injury. This is research supported by Nancy Reagan, former President Ford, 41 Nobel laureates, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Orrin Hatch (yes, that Orrin Hatch).
Just how radical is this "radical" bill from our fair liberal commune of Massachusetts?
About as radical as you might expect from a bill supported by a coalition including the most respected hospitals and instituions in town (Mass General, Beth Israel Deaconess, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, the Whitehead Institute, Harvard Medical School -- you know, where all the hippies hang out)...and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
Here's
what this radical coalition says:
The bill is packed with assurances for those still squeamish about endorsing stem cell research in Massachusetts. Reseachers will be allowed to conduct very specific kinds of research ... Penalities for violations are heavy: up to $1 million in fines and 10 years in jail.
According to the Boston Globe cited above, the bill is a reasonably sure bet to be passed by the Massachusetts House and Senate, but Romney is sure to veto and the pro-21st-century folks are still working to gather enough votes to override.
With the medievalists stepping up their advertising campaign, a bunch of folks here in Boston formed the Committee for a Better Commonwealth to fight back and maintain Massachusetts as a beachhead for the modern age.
They're running these pro-research ads to apply the right kind of pressure, and they're asking for help -- you can chip in here to help air them. (If you do give, please add a cent and say so in the comments below!)
And if you're in Massachusetts, call your representatives and ask them to support research, curing diseases, and fight the fanatics.