The Frist Offense

"It isn't just a matter of faith, it's a matter of science...The president's policy should be modified."

No doubt is it funny to me to hear members of the pro-life community accusing Frist of flip-flopping much in the same way that conservatives accused Kerry of flip-flopping during the 2004 presidential election. To be honest with you, when I evaluate this situation, I don't think he flip-flopped. I think this was a long time coming. I also don't think he much cares what the religious right thinks. He has and always will be a physician, therefore, anything that will promote and enhance our health will always be a possibility to Frist.

Background

Frist went to Harvard Medical School and earned the honor of being a Doctor of Medicine in 1978. Since then, his mind has been focused on healing and his primary job has been that of a physician. Frist has trained in cardiovascular physiology. He was a senior fellow and chief resident in cardiac transplant service and cardiothoracic surgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine from 1985 to 1986. Following his year at Stanford University School of Medicine, he became a faculty member at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and started a heart and lung transplantation program at the center. He went on to found the Vanderbilt Transplant Center in 1989. He is currently a licensed physician and has performed over 150 heart and lung transplants.

Frist's medical career alone is one that gives me the idea that he sides with scientists before he sides with the Christian right. He has spent most of his lifetime devoted to medicine. Frist's history really does not involve the Christian right. The only reason they support him is because he has an ethical mind when he is on the brink of a medical advancement and is strongly against abortion. It's not like he didn't have a problem when it came to deciding whether or not to go forward and support heart and lung transplants. He had to think about it ethically.

Answering fundamental questions about human life is seldom easy. For example, to realize the promise of my own field of heart transplantation and at the same time address moral concerns introduced by new science, we had to ask the question: How do we define “death?” With time, careful thought, and a lot of courage from people who believed in the promise of transplant medicine, but also understood the absolute necessity for a proper ethical framework, we answered that question, allowed the science to advance, and have since saved tens of thousands of lives. -Bill Frist

His Recent Offensive Move

Frist had been waiting for the right time to be able to take on stem cell research for a long time. Like a reasonable person, Frist understands that saving lives is important while also understanding that science can get out of control. It's not like he's in favor of stem cell research that has no boundaries. He is pretty much standing by what he stated in 2001 and what he has always thought about stem cells. The only difference is that he has come to a stunning realization: Existing stem cell lines have been contaminated and can't be applied for human medical use. Contrary to what the Christian right's and/or others' belief may be or may have been, Frist was never against stem cell research. He just seemed like because he want to be strict and make sure that scientific advancements were achieved ethically.

Frist is not in favor of unlimited research of just any embryos. Specifically , he said in his speech on the Senate Floor, "...we should federally fund research only on embryonic stem cells derived from blastocysts leftover from fertility therapy, which will not be implanted or adopted but instead are otherwise destined by the parents with absolute certainty to be discarded and destroyed."

Frist also still stands behind his 10 principles that he outlined in 2001, which involve a lot of bans and limits:

1. Ban Embryo Creation for Research;
2. Continue Funding Ban on Derivation;
3. Ban Human Cloning;
4. Increase Adult Stem Cell Research Funding;
5. Provide Funding for Embryonic Stem Cell Research Only From Blastocysts That Would Otherwise Be Discarded;
6. Require a Rigorous Informed Consent Process;
7. Limit Number of Stem Cell Lines;
8. Establish A Strong Public Research Oversight System;
9. Require Ongoing, Independent Scientific and Ethical Review;
10. Strengthen and Harmonize Fetal Tissue Research Restrictions.

Frist's ethical philosophies that often make him seem tightly wound up or anal retentive still exist. But a light bulb went off and he realized that the restrictions placed by Bush in 2001 stifle is "continued commitment to healing". As with transplantation, he will be ethical in regards to stem cell research's advancements. He will make sure it is controlled. But I don't necessarily think he will be unreasonable compared to members of the Christian right and/or George W. Bush. He knows science, and he understands the meaning of life. His fight to make them coexist is a tough one in this day and age. My opinion is whatever happens, he will most likely make the right decision. With that, I end with this quote.

In all forms of stem cell research, I see today, just as I saw in 2001, great promise to heal. Whether it’s diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, or spinal cord injuries, stem cells offer hope for treatment that other lines of research cannot offer. -Bill Frist

(Note to Frist: As long as you realize that you were wrong about Schiavo and understand that she was in a persistent vegetative state and also was blind so everything you said was wrong, we're ok. Despite what I may have thought about you earlier, I realize you just are afraid of doing something immoral or unethical in the field of science. It's tough. No one wants an army of clones running rampant across the globe as a result of unbounded science. That's why we must carefully examine each step that we take.)