An Unholy Alliance How Neoconservatives and the Religious Right Have Joined Forces to Fight Stem Cell Research By Eve Herold and Frank L. Cocozzelli

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                 In June 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate took up the issue of stem cell research once again, re-introducing a bill that had already been vetoed once by President Bush. The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act would have expanded U.S. federal funding (which currently applies to only 21 embryonic stem cell lines) to include about 200 new and superior cell lines. This year’s version of the bill was passed in the Senate on April 11, but it fell four votes short of a veto-proof majority. Then the bill passed Congress by a vote of 253 – 174, only to be met once again with the slash of Bush’s pen. The president has stood stubbornly by his anti-research policy against the wishes of the Congress, the Senate, and a large majority of the American people. His reason: the destruction of embryos, even for life-saving research, “crosses a moral line” that shouldn’t be crossed. This, however, is not the consensus among all religious faiths, let alone among mainstream Christians; it is a narrow proposition held mostly by neo-orthodox Christians. The concept that embryonic research is off-limits is being furthered not just by religious conservatives, but also by their often nonreligious neoconservative allies.

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Authors Bio:
Stephen just finished his graduate studies in a joint MBA/MPA from MIT Sloan and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Before coming to Boston, he was in Philadelphia where he founded and managed the Teaming for Technology Initiative at the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania serving as Director of Technology Outreach. Teaming for Technology included a non-profit technology consulting practice and a digital inclusion program that provided wireless internet access, training to residents, and content through the a web portal serving low-income population. The city of Philadelphia has since picked up on the initiative with the intention of making the whole city wireless. Prior to joining United Way, he served as an Americorps member serving in a Philadelphia public school. Steve received a BS in policy analysis and management from Cornell University where he served on the Board of Trustees and was President of the student government. Steve is co-founder of the Institute for Progressive Christianity and CrossLeft. He has been an Episcopalian for most of his life, but has strong roots in the Evangelical tradition through his father.