Kudos to Bill Frist. Seriously. (And, yes, this is the Bill Frist of Nuclear Option fame.) But here at Campus Progress we believe in giving credit where credit is due. Who can say what will eventually come of his speech on the floor of the Senate this morning, but his willingness to voice his opinion about the state of stem cell research and his firm stance to continue supporting it is a refreshing event for a divisive issue. This morning, Dr. Frist announced on the floor of the Senate that he supported a House bill passed this spring that would provide more federal funding to embryonic stem cell research. Frist outlined some changes he felt needed to be made and, above all else, insisted that no embryo be destroyed for research that was not already slated for destruction otherwise.

Frist’s words are momentous in many ways. First, this is a huge political move by the Senate Majority Leader who is considered by many to be the frontrunner of the 2008 Presidential race. During George W.’s time, we have seen how influential the religious conservatives can be and Frist’s announcement comes as a distinct rejection of their views on this issue. The corollary is that Frist may have galvanized the centrists in this country, garnering more support for his future (and hopefully lessening the impact of the radicals in determining the fate of the country).

Second, this is the first time in a long time that an influential leader has made a move to bridge the ever-widening gap between the Left and Right. Democratic senators lavished praise on Frist today and many Republican senators also backed his position. Frist’s statements inspire some hope that the stem cell debate will be the first non-security issue in some time to be decided in a notably bipartisan and forward-thinking manner.

Third, hopefully this will serve as a watershed moment in turning the tide in this nation. The current administration has been largely in the business of legislating morality and deciding on the right and wrong values for Americans. Frist acknowledged his own belief that human life begins at conception, but made the point that funding stem cell research will lead to positive medical breakthroughs and might save many lives in the future. In a deeper sense, this is an acknowledgement that one’s own moral values should not dictate the direction of legislation on an issue surrounded by such intense and often conflicting personal values. Frist’s statements this morning mark a turn away from taking a hard and fast line on policy decisions based on natural or religious law. Instead, by advocating for stem cell research with strict ethical guidelines and oversight, he is in essence acknowledging that though there may be reason for moral pause, the potential public good that may come of the research makes it necessary to investigate the issue further before simply discarding it altogether.

- Jonas Singer