By Robert P. George, Princeton University

Yuval Levin points out that the NIH guidelines for implementing President Obama’s deeply regrettable policy of funding research using stem cell lines created by killing human embryos include a “tiny silver lining.”  Obama’s recent executive order rescinding President Bush’s August 9, 2001 executive order on the subject opened the door for guidelines that would have authorized federal government funding of research involving cell lines deriving from the creation of human embryos by cloning, in vitro fertilization, and other means specifically for research in which they are killed.   NIH officials declined, for now at least, to walk through that door.  However, they have not provided their reasons for this decision, and the Director of the NIH has expressly indicated that the agency could reverse course at any time and authorize funding for so-called “therapeutic cloning.”

Our task must be to ensure that this does not happen.  It is possible that the restraint shown thus far by the NIH is in part the result of pro-life lobbying efforts, including efforts by pro-life supporters of President Obama.  If so, all who have assisted in these efforts, including Obama’s pro-life supporters, deserve recognition and thanks.  We can pause only for a moment, however.  Our lobbying efforts must now be directed to putting the prohibition of funding for all forms of human cloning (and, indeed, all research involving the creation of human beings for research in which they are destroyed at any stage of development) on a more secure footing.  Pro-life citizens should unite to demand that the Obama administration make a public commitment to maintaining the funding restrictions that are now in place.  We should, at the same time, lobby our representatives in both houses of Congress to resist efforts that are already under way to eliminate or loosen those restrictions by legislative action.  And we should dedicate ourselves to working to defeat congressional supporters of embryo destructive research in the 2010 elections and to elect (or re-elect) candidates who can be counted on to oppose any use of federal taxpayer dollars for research involving the taking of human life.

It is indeed deeply regrettable that President Obama has authorized government funding of research using stem cell lines created by destroying human embryos that were conceived for possible use in assisted reproduction and then turned over by their parents for use in research.  This is a grave injustice against these tiny human beings at the very dawn of life.  As a candidate, Barack Obama pledged to take this step, as did his opponent, John McCain.  McCain, however, promised to stop there and staunchly opposed the creation of human embryos for research in which they are killed.  In fact, he supported legislation to ban it.  Obama, by unfavorable contrast, had supported proposed legislation designed to foster the creation of human embryos by cloning for research in which they are killed.  Hence the expectation, especially after the President “opened the door” in his order revoking the Bush administration’s policy, was that the NIH guidelines would authorize funding for this practice.

In his executive order, President Obama took the nation to the precipice of creating human embryos for destruction; but, for now at least, the NIH has declined to take the country over that precipice.  We pro-life citizens must now do all we can to back our government away from the precipice to a position of respect for human life in all stages and conditions.