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John McCain’s Official Website (www.johnmccain.com)

STEM CELL RESEARCH
What form of stem cell research would you permit access to federal funds?¹

- Adult stem cell research
- Leftover embryos derived from in vitro fertilization
- Embryo destructive research
- Umbilical cord blood banks

On the human embryonic stem cell issue, “he draws the line at human nuclear transfer, or research cloning, arguing that there is no ethical difference between cloning for research and cloning for reproduction.”²

In light of the recent scientific discoveries regarding skin cells would you support/oppose continuing federal funding of destructive embryonic stem cell research? Supports

Would you support, and continue, President Bush’s ban on the use of federal funds for research on human embryonic stem cell lines created after August 2001? No³

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, on Thursday while campaigning in Florida said he continues to support human embryonic stem cell research, the Washington Post reports. When asked whether recent advances in nonembryonic stem cell research would change his stance, McCain replied, “I have not changed my position yet” (Milbank, Washington Post, 1/25). McCain Says His Support of Embryonic Stem Cell Research is Unchanged. Jan 27, 2008. ⁴

Referring to recent reports that researchers have reprogrammed mature adult human skin cells to produce embryonic-like stem cells, McCain said he believes “skin stem cell research has every potential very soon of making” the issue of embryonic stem cell research “academic.” He said that his decision to support embryonic stem cell research was “one of the toughest” he has had to make, adding that one reason he favors the research is “those embryos will be either discarded or kept in permanent frozen status.” McCain Says His Support of Embryonic Stem Cell Research is Unchanged. Jan 27, 2008. ⁵

Dobson criticized McCain for his support of human embryonic stem cell research funding, among other issues (Gorski, AP/Google.com, 2/7). According to the source, Bush expressed support for his own decision to twice veto legislation that would have expanded embryonic stem cell research funding and lauded recent advances in stem cell research that could yield embryonic-like stem cell lines without destroying human embryos (AP/Google.com, 2/8).⁶

CLONING & HUMAN EMBRYO RESEARCH:

Would you support a federal law prohibiting human cloning? Yes⁷

ABORTION:

Do you support Medicaid-funded abortions? No⁸

Would you support laws requiring abortion clinics to show all women an ultrasound image of their unborn baby? Yes⁹

McCain believes Roe v. Wade should be overturned, and that the abortion question should be left to the individual states to legislate. He has called abortion a human tragedy, and believes community action can go far in “the fight for life” by promoting alternatives to abortion and providing expectant mothers with the necessary support.¹⁰

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who has formed an exploratory committee for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, on Sunday at an event in Spartansburg, S.C., said he does not support Roe v. Wade — the 1973 Supreme Court decision that effectively barred state abortion bans — and that the decision should be overturned, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports (Davenport, AP/International Herald Tribune, 2/18). McCain also said that if elected president he would appoint judges who “strictly interpret the Constitution of the United States and do not legislate from the bench” (Davenport, AP/Los Angeles Times, 2/20). McCain during a news conference on Monday in Vero Beach, Fla., said claims that he has changed his position on Roe are “false,” adding that his position on the case is consistent with his record on abortion-rights issues (Bierschenk, TCPalm, 2/20).¹¹

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, in an interview said that it would be difficult for an abortion-rights supporter to win the party’s nomination, the AP/Forbes reports. McCain, who opposes abortion rights, said that one of the party’s “fundamental principles” is to have “respect and commitment to the dignity of human life, both the born and unborn.” He added that an abortion-rights supporter would have difficulty winning the nomination because the Republican Party is “basically composed to a significant degree by people who are pro-life, just as the Democratic Party has pro-choice candidates.”¹²

According to the Wall Street Journal, McCain’s voting record on “core conservative issues,” including his opposition to a constitutional amendment that would ban abortion, “will continue to rile conservatives regardless” of Thursday’s speech (Holmes et al., Wall Street Journal, 2/8).¹³

HEALTH CARE

Would eliminate favorable taxes for employer-sponsored insurance while giving tax credits to individuals and families; would promote competition between carriers and seek to change payments to providers and initiate legal reforms to contain health costs. McCain would allow veterans to use Veterans Administration benefits to pay for care through other providers.¹⁴

REFERENCES

¹ 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC May 3, 2007 (http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/John_McCain_Abortion.htm; http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00128)

² American Association for the Advancement of Science (2008, January 7). US Presidential Candidates And Their Views On Scientific Issues. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 7, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080103144445.htm

³2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC May 3, 2007, http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/John_McCain_Abortion.htm

⁴http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/95212.php. See also
http://npwf.convio.net/site/News2?JServSessionIdr004=khsqa0oq63.app5a&news_iv_ctrl=-1&abbr=daily2_&page=NewsArticle&id=9728

⁵http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/95212.php See also
http://npwf.convio.net/site/News2?JServSessionIdr004=khsqa0oq63.app5a&news_iv_ctrl=-1&abbr=daily2_&page=NewsArticle&id=9728

⁶ Daily Women’s Health Policy Report. Election 2008, McCain Reiterates Opposition to Abortion, Says He Would Appoint Strict Constructionist Judges to Supreme Court. Feb. 8, 2008. http://npwf.convio.net/site/News2?JServSessionIdr004=khsqa0oq63.app5a&news_iv_ctrl=-1&abbr=daily2_&page=NewsArticle&id=10069

⁷http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MTMxOWRkYjgyNDhjOTU5ZTY2OWU2ZTg2ZmUxMzQ1NjQ=&w=MQ==#more

⁸Ron Fournier, Associated Press Aug 24, 1999, http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/John_McCain_Abortion.htm

⁹http://www.lifenews.com/nat3344.html

¹⁰http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/john-mccain

¹¹Daily Women’s Health Policy Report. Election 2008, Sen. McCain Says Roe v. Wade Decision Should Be Overturned. Feb 21, 2007. http://npwf.convio.net/site/News2?JServSessionIdr004=khsqa0oq63.app5a&news_iv_ctrl=-1&abbr=daily2_&page=NewsArticle&id=9105

¹²Daily Women’s Health Policy Report. Election 2008, McCain Says Abortion-Rights Supporter Would Have Difficulty Winning Republican Presidential Nomination. May 8, 2007. http://npwf.convio.net/site/News2?JServSessionIdr004=khsqa0oq63.app5a&news_iv_ctrl=-1&abbr=daily2_&page=NewsArticle&id=8742

¹³Daily Women’s Health Policy Report. Election 2008, McCain Reiterates Opposition to Abortion, Says He Would Appoint Strict Constructionist Judges to Supreme Court. Feb. 8, 2008. http://npwf.convio.net/site/News2?JServSessionIdr004=khsqa0oq63.app5a&news_iv_ctrl=-1&abbr=daily2_&page=NewsArticle&id=10069; See also C-SPAN video of McCain’s speech is available online (McCain, C-SPAN, 2/7). Audio, video and a transcript of the segment are available online.

¹⁴Fernandez, Elizabeth. 2008 Voters Guide, The Road to the Presidency. Health Care: Insurance funding. San Francisco Chronicle. Jan 27, 2008. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/27/IN3VUL8F3.DTL

Please feel free to add additional comments and information/links to this candidate’s positions on bioethics issues in the comment area below.

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