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Chris SmithWASHINGTON, D.C., April 16, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – LifeSiteNews encountered U.S. Congressman Chris Smith and his wife Marie at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast last Friday. Smith is a big fan of LifeSiteNews and expressed strong appreciation for the news service which he reads frequently. We asked him about current developments in Washington on the life issues.

  Smith: One breaking story is that we have every reason to believe that Bush will soon issue a letter that will basically say that he will veto legislation – a letter directed to House members and send it to them , saying to them that we will sustain vetoes that will ensure that any current pro-life policy – if there is any attempt to weaken or nullify it – whether it be the Mexico city policy, federal employees health benefits ban which is my amendment back in 1983, the Hyde amendment on Medicaid – any of the “riders” as we call them – if any of those are weakened or nullified, he will veto the bill and that means virtually every one of the appropriations bills.

  The Democrats are put on notice – we will sustain that veto.  Bush One had done that and his letter was very clear and unambiguous –“if you weaken and nullify – I will veto”.  We have every indication that George W. Bush will do exactly the same thing.

LifeSiteNews: There is such a strong push on embryonic stem cells – they just keep going and going

  Smith: Despite all the evidence to the contrary.  The week that we had our vote on embryonic stem cells – which again, haven’t cured even a rat – unlike adult stem cells, cord blood and even amniotic fluid – that week, the amniotic fluid breakthrough occurred and people like Mike Castle had long faces.

Steve Jalsevac & Chris Smith  It’s like the evidence keeps proving our point that adult stem cells are efficacious, they are ethical, they are readily available.  You have everything that would say that a reasonable man or woman would opt for this use of your research dollars and they keep clinging to the embryonic.  It has everything to do, I believe, with the further dehumanization of unborn life.  I made the point to some pro-lifers who feel they can cross over and vote for this – if it ever did work, we would have to destroy millions of embryos to derive sufficient amounts of stem cells for transplantation.

  LifeSiteNews: What is really behind the embryonic stem cells push?

  Smith: I think it is dehumanization.  I think that is it.  How do you re-enfranchise the unborn when you have society dependant and relying on – for their own health – stem cells derived from embryos.

  It is just like fetal tissue transplantation in the mid-1990’s.  That was the panacea, the silver bullet – you might recall – for Parkinson’s Disease.  I debated Fred Upton and a whole bunch of other congressmen who were telling me “We are just using something destined for the garbage can to help humanity”. 

  It also means that it tips the balance that, somehow, it is more humane to abort when it is not.  Of course, that was an unmitigated disaster.

Smithe with Peter Smith  LifeSiteNews: Is there something in this for the big pharmaceutical companies?

  Smith: Oh, I am sure there is.  I think it is more ideologically driven.  If you can dehumanize that which is unborn and make society depend upon it for its own welfare – you probably have precluded, ever, re-enshrining the protection of the unborn child.  Certainly from the moment of conception because frankly, the older, 6 and 7 week gestational babies, their stem-cells – if you could steal them – are much more stable, as opposed to the very early embryonic cells. 

  The plura-potency, as we have seen over and over again, can be found in cord blood, can be found in the amniotic fluid stem cells that have plura-potency.  That used to be the marquis, that was the one thing that set embryonic apart but that is not true.  They cling to that myth still. 

  This is all about de-humanizing with a pre-text of curing.  If they were so into cures, why was my bill held up for years, which we finally got enacted into laws – $265 million dollars.

  LifeSiteNews.com: Are we going to win this battle on stem cells?

  Smith:  Well, we have won it already on cord blood.  It was signed by Bush.  It was my bill – it took 5 years to get that because the other side didn’t believe it.  Science has so eclipsed their arguments.

  Adult stem cells work – embryonic don’t.  They form tumors, plus, they are unethical.