If you've been following the media war over stem cell research, you're probably already familiar with the freakshow rhetoric that dominates the conservative angle. (For a rundown of the developments so far, check out Thomas H. Murray's "Hard Cell" and our own Robert Kuttner's "Religious Right Hijacks Stem Cell Debate" in TAP.) This is due, in part, to the cozy relations between opponents of research and opponents of abortion -- with the latter adding their well-honed scare tactics to the mix.
So it's not all that surprising to find scientists now tagged with a label previously reserved by the pro-life lobby for those who perform abortions: Nazi doctors. This comes courtesy of Armstrong Williams, whose syndicated piece in this week's Townhall.com seeks to confront the evil head on.
"Euphemisms," Williams argues "make it easier for scientists, in the name of medical research, to justify dissecting unborn babies," then adds ominously:
And, of course, that's precisely what they're doing when they poke and slice at embryos to extract stem cells. Sadly, it seems that babies do not receive the benefit of human rights until they leave that warm womb and commit to a cold, dangerous existence in America.
Note the bait and switch: Embryos smoothly morph into babies, which in turn are "dissected" in the name of science. But while those of us who remember high school biology scratch our heads in confusion, Williams gallops ahead:
And the destruction of such life - even if it's nonsentient, even if it's confined to an antiseptic lab - is equivalent to murder. Somewhere in the swing from point A to point B, a large segment of American society has lost touch with the fact that life is to be celebrated and cherished.
Or, more likely, with a philosophy that reduces life to a genetic code.
For the full story, see "It's a life, stupid" in Townhall.com.
