  According to urlLink The Seattle Times , John Kerry is challenging President Bush about his commitment to true scientific achievement in medicine. This, of course, comes during the third anniversary of the President's limiting federal embryonic stem cell research. Scientists want to study the primitive cells extracted from 5-day-old embryos because they have the ability to morph into virtually any type of human tissue. "Replicated" tissue cells might someday be used to treat spinal-cord injuries and diseases such as Parkinson's and juvenile diabetes. Opponents, including anti-abortion activists and some religious leaders, object because the work involves the destruction of an embryo. They advocate research on adult or fetal-tissue stem cells instead. Now, three years after administration officials claimed they would make 78 cell lines and $100 million a year available for the controversial research, scientists and patient groups complain that the Bush policy is inadequate.
Fewer than two dozen cell lines are available, and the budget for embryonic stem-cell studies is $25 million. "Here in America, we don't sacrifice science for ideology," Kerry said in remarks prepared for his radio address. "Every day that we wait, more than 3,000 Americans lose their lives to diseases that may someday be treatable because of stem-cell research.
" But, in Bush's America, we do sacrifice science all the time for ideology. For example, in June, President Bush re-appointed Dr. David Hager to the Food & Drug Administration's (FDA) Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee. urlLink According to Planned Parenthood , Hager "co-authored a book that recommends scriptural passages and prayers for problems like headaches and premenstrual syndrome, and he is widely known to be opposed to prescribing contraceptives for unmarried women. He also played a prominent role in the creation of a petition designed to pressure the FDA into rescinding its approval of mifepristone [(formerly known as RU-486)]. " Does that sound like somebody who is committed to science in the realm of reproductive health? The Food &amp; Drug Administration, itself, put politics in front of science when it urlLink ruled not to make emergency contraception (also known as "the morning after pill") available over the counter despite overwhelming recommendation by two of its advisory committees. "This is anti-choice politics at its worst," said PPFA Vice President for Medical Affairs Dr. Vanessa Cullins.
"There is no scientific reason to restrict access to this safe, effective backup method of contraception. Comprehensive scientific data shows that Plan B meets the FDA's criteria for over-the-counter status. The FDA's decision proves only one thing: dangerous anti-choice ideology is trumping scientific fact at the expense of women's health and well-being. This is the latest assault in this administration's war on choice. They are willingly sacrificing the health and lives of women and teens to promote a narrow ideological agenda.
" But, if you don't believe Planned Parenthood, how about the Union of Concerned Scientists, whose membership holds 48 Nobel laureates and 62 National Medal of Science recipients. In February, the Union released a report citing many ideological abuses at the expense of science by the Bush Administration, from reproductive health to HIV/AIDS research to the environment. In July, urlLink they released an updated version with more abuses . Hell, even the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Government Reforms keeps urlLink tabs on the President's putting ideology before science . In terms of true scientific advancement, the Democrats win hands down. 
