President Bush’s Choice to Lead Bioethics Council is Pro-Life 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 11, 2005
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — When Dr. Leon Kass, the respected head of the President’s Council on Bioethics, stepped down as the chairman of the panel, little attention was given to his replacement. However, pro-life advocates say President Bush chose a capable replacement who has a respect for life at all its stages.
The bioethics panel is charged with examining key topics that are at the heart of the nation’s debate over the right to life, including stem cell research, human cloning, and euthanasia. President Bush chose Dr. Edmund Pellegrino of Georgetown University’s Center for Clinical Bioethics and a former president of Catholic University, to run the committee.
"It is difficult to imagine a finer choice," says Family Research Council chairman Tony Perkins.
Pellegrino serves as an advisory board member of FRC’s Center for Human Life & Bioethics, the pro-life advocacy division of the family organization.
"We hope and expect that during his tenure the Council will continue to offer Americans clear and careful guidance on the pressing issues of life and death that confront our nation," Perkins explained.
Other pro-life advocates agreed with Perkins assessment.
"Dr. Pellegrino is a solid pro-life academic who is well respected by all in the medical community," says Carrie Gordon Earll, senior analyst for bioethics at Focus on the Family Action. "His application of clear and sensible ethics has guided many medical professionals. His appointment to chair the Council is an excellent one."
"I am honored," Pellegrino said responding to his appointment to lead the bioethics panel. "The Council has set a very high bar in addressing many of the serious bioethical issues before our country."
Pellegrino recently served on the UNESCO committee drafting guidelines on bioethics.
