Senator Bill Frist formally broke today with the Bush administration’s opposition to embryonic stem cell research.  Commenting on the break is Catholic League president William Donohue:

“Here is what Senator John Kerry said when running for president: ‘I believe life does begin at conception.’  Here is what Senator Bill Frist is now saying: ‘I believe human life begins at conception.’  They now agree on one more thing: They will do absolutely nothing to protect the beginning of innocent human life.

“Frist is worse than Kerry.  Kerry, a lawyer, said his position on the beginning of human life was based on ‘my Catholic belief.’  Frist, a physician, says that while his Christian faith informs his position, there’s more to it: ‘But, to me, it isn’t just a matter of faith.  It’s a fact of science.’ 

“And it’s a fact of politics that Frist is such a hypocrite.  His change of heart has nothing to do with any scientific breakthrough: there is no new evidence suggesting that the human embryo does not constitute human life, nor is there any evidence that embryonic stem cell research can be performed without killing embryos.  What’s changed is that Dr. Duplicity wants to be president.

“Frist still calls himself ‘strong[ly] pro-life,’ and says he gives ‘huge moral significance to the human embryo.’  Furthermore, he says the human embryo ‘is nascent human life,’ explaining that we should ‘treat that embryo with dignity, with respect.’  Which raises the question: If it’s okay to snuff out the beginning of human life, how much dignity and respect may logically be accorded the dead?

“Frist says he is not going to run for senator of Tennessee again.  Now it’s up to the Republican leadership to make sure he has no future role to play in their party.  Who knows, if Frist becomes increasingly Kerryesque, maybe the Dems will draft him?”