Spinning at Stanford

The Weekly Standard reports that Stanford University is creating a biomedical center which is planning to conduct research on cloned embryos. Advocates are calling the proposed cloning activities "nuclear transplantation to produce human pluripotent stem cell lines" and using other dissembling or spinning to avoid the word "cloning" or phrase "cloning-for-research." Stanford recognizes the controversial character of the issue but is seeking to avoid public deliberation with its attempts to dissemble. Now is the time for President Bush to step up what he started in August 2001 with his speech on stem-cell research. A more public discussion of the issues raised by Leon Kass and the President's Council on Bioethics must commence. Kudos to Bill Kristol for following this issue so diligently in the Standard.