Doyle blasts McCallum's silence on stem cells
By David Callender
July 5, 2001
Attorney General Jim Doyle today blasted Republican Gov. Scott McCallum for ducking questions about a proposed state ban on embryonic stem cell research.
Doyle, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor next year, said the ban contained in the state budget bill passed by majority Republicans in the state Assembly last month "is an attack on the world-renowned research being conducted right here in Wisconsin."
McCallum has not said directly whether he would sign the ban into law or veto it.
McCallum spokeswoman Lisa Hull said this morning that the governor supports stem cell research, but wants to see the final language in the budget bill.
"He's willing to look at what's sent to him," she said. Hull said she doubts majority Democrats in the state Senate will allow the ban to remain in the final budget bill sent to the governor.
Speaking at a press conference at the UW-Madison Research Park on the city's west side this morning, Doyle ridiculed what he said was McCallum's lack of clarity on the issue.
"The future of biomedical research in Wisconsin and the potential key to discovering treatments for a host of debilitating diseases is at stake - and the governor doesn't have an opinion?" he quipped.
"The question is: What does Gov. McCallum want to be in the final budget bill regarding stem cell research? He is supposed to be a leader, not a passive observer," Doyle said.
Doyle said he supports the continuation of stem cell research because "it holds the potential for breakthrough medical discoveries that could improve or save countless lives."
The Assembly GOP ban would allow research to continue on stem cells donated before Jan. 1 next year. Violators would be subject to fines up to $50,000 and up to 7 years in prison.
UW-Madison officials say the restrictions would effectively bar all research here.
The debate over the proposed state ban on stem cell research mirrors one taking place at the national level.
Republican President George W. Bush is under pressure from anti-abortion groups to ban the use of donated in vitro human embryos for research. Many of those groups, including the Catholic Church, believe that life begins at conception, even in the case of in vitro fertilization.
That position is opposed by several prominent conservative Republicans, including former Gov. Tommy Thompson, who is now Bush's Secretary of Health and Human Services. Thompson has spoken of the importance of embryonic stem cell research in finding potential treatments for Parkinson's disease, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, and other conditions.
McCallum, a longtime abortion foe, has repeatedly expressed reservations about fetal tissue research.
Last year, he endorsed a state ban on the sale of "baby body parts" as part of a campaign fund-raising effort.
He appeared to back away from that position earlier this year, saying that he believes a current federal ban on for-profit sales of fetal tissue is sufficient.
Doyle suggested it was hypocritical for McCallum to visit California last month to promote Wisconsin as a potential leader in the biotech industry while "allowing his cronies in the state Assembly to effectively kill the very same industry here.
"Even the possibility of his proposal becoming law will hurt Wisconsin's reputation as a leader in medical research and drive away potential biomedical firms from locating in this state," he said.
Published: 12:07 AM 7/05/01
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