John McCain Defends Embryonic Stem Cell Research Backing in Florida Stop 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 25, 2008
Tallahassee, FL (LifeNews.com) — Republican presidential candidate John McCain has taken a pro-life position on abortion, but his views on embryonic stem cell research are a cause for concern among many pro-life advocates. The Arizona senator defended his position in support of the destructive research at a Florida campaign stop.
McCain said he continues to support forcing taxpayers to fund the research, which involves the destruction of human life and has never helped patients, but called his support for it “a very agonizing and tough decision."
“All I can say to you is that I went back and forth, back and forth on it and I came in on one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had, in favor of that research," he said, according to a Catholic News Agency report.
"And one reason being very frankly is those embryos will be either discarded or kept in permanent frozen status," he explained.
“I understand how divisive this is among the pro-life community," McCain added.
According to CNA, he explained how he hopes that the science will advance to the point that embryonic stem cell research is unnecessary.
Pro-life advocates believe that day has already come.
As LifeNews.com reported Japanese and Wisconsin teams released studies in the medical journals Science and Cell that show how they were able to make adult stem cells revert to an embryonic-like form.
The studies confirm that human skin cells (fibroblasts) can be used to make pluripotent stem cells sharing essentially all the features of human embryonic stem cells without the moral quagmire.
CNA says McCain spoke to that new research, which pro-life groups have said is ethical.
“I believe that skin stem cell research has every potential very soon of making that discussion academic…. Sam Brownback and others are very encouraged at this latest advance," he said.
