Ad watch: Governor cites moral issues
Description
In a 60-second radio ad to begin as early as today, Governor Mitt Romney attacks stem-cell legislation proposed in the Legislature. The ad is sponsored by the Romney for Governor Committee.
Text
''Many people agree that Massachusetts should open the way for stem-cell research. Here's where I stand. I support legislation that will permit scientists to obtain stem cells from embryos donated from fertility clinics. These embryos would otherwise be destroyed. But there are some legislators who aren't satisfied with using these surplus embryos: Instead, they want to clone entirely new human embryos for research. That's never been done in this country before. Cloning would mean creating new human life, new embryos, just for experimentation. Let's pass a better bill that supports stem cell research, without human cloning."
Is it accurate?
Behind the current debate over the state's stem cell policy is a deep moral and philosophical rift over when life begins. Some say that an embryo is a human life, from its very beginnings as a single cell, while others argue that an embryo does not have the same moral status as a person. In this ad, the governor stakes out a position between the two sides. The ad criticizes the creation of cloned embryos, because this would mean creating ''new human life." This characterization turns on the question of whether an embryo at the stage researchers use them, a ball of about 200 cells known as a blastocyst, constitutes a human life. The creation and destruction of human embryos are a regular part of fertility treatments today, and the governor supports using these embryos for research. The governor calls the proposal radical, but many scientists say the research could yield important results. Other teams in the United Kingdom and South Korea have already begun the work, and Harvard scientists are making plans to begin.
Is it effective?
The ad emphasizes the governor's support for stem cell research, which is a popular cause, and reiterates his opposition to a particular type of the research, the creation of cloned human embryos, which many people do not understand.
GARETH COOK
