Sunday Shows II: Specter/Brownback on Stem Cells

Senators Specter and Brownback were on "Face the Nation" this morning to discuss the upcoming stem cell debate with host Bob Schieffer and Elisabeth Bumiller of the NYT.

Specter was asked first whether his side has enough votes to overcome the prospective presidential veto. "I think we're getting there," Specter said, noting that he thinks support has crossed the 60-vote mark, and that Frist's speech gave it a "big boost," both scientifically and politically. "We're on our way" to the magic 67 number in the Senate, he said, but he recognized that an override would be much tougher in the House. Pressed by Schieffer on a specific vote count, Specter said he thought right now they're at about 62, with "around 15 more thinking it over." He reported that one senator signed onto the bill following Frist's speech, and that two more have told him they're considering changing their positions.

Brownback was asked if he intends to filibuster Specter-Harkin when it comes to the floor; the Kansan said that a filibuster is "not the focus," but that he's concerned with making sure we "don't take the next step," i.e. the intentional creation of embryos for use in research. The Specter-Harkin bill, of course, would allow federal funding for research on stem cells taken from embryos that would otherwise be discarded.

Schieffer asked if Brownback had "resigned himself" to passage of Specter-Harkin in favor of stopping the "next step" - Brownback said he hasn't resigned himself, that he won't support Specter-Harkin, and that it is a "big step," calling it [speciously?] "the first time we've ever used taxpayer money to pay for the intentional destruction of human life." But, he said, his focus right now is on getting the multi-bill package of votes on the Senate floor: Specter-Harkin, adult stem cell funding, a ban on human cloning and embyro production, etc. He added, as Specter had, that the votes aren't there in the House to override a presidential veto.

Specter said that he felt Frist's speech will help his presidential ambitions, calling it "a declaration that you don't have to agree with every statement of the Republican Party to be the nominee." He said he felt that the party ought to be concerned with finding a nominee who could be elected, expressed his view that a candidate who opposed stem cell research couldn't be elected. He replied to Brownback's point about creating life to destroy it, noting that the only embryos eligible for use under Specter-Harkin would be those destined for destruction. If they could be implanted, he said, they should be.

Brownback replied by restating his view that "you're taking human life, and you're experimenting on it," saying he preferred using adult stem cells instead.

I thought this was a good back-and-forth between the two senators - respectful, but with clear differences outlined.

[Update: Just a word here, I realized that I did not express above my agreement with Brownback that I do not believe that embyros should be 'created' specifically for the purpose of harvesting their stem cells; nor do I believe that human cloning in any form should be permitted. I think that adult stem cells do hold certain promise and research on them as well as on cord blood cells should be pursued. But as I've long said, I strongly support the Specter-Harkin legislation, which would allow funding for research on stem cells from embryos that literally would otherwise be discarded. -- 12:03 p.m.]