Taking the no-stem pledge

“Because of my strong opposition to embryonic-stem-cell research, I hereby pledge that should I, at any point in the future, develop diabetes, cancer, spinal-cord injuries or Parkinson’s, among other diseases, I will refuse any and all treatments derived from such research, at home or abroad, even if it costs me my life. Signed, ______”

Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter suggests that pledge be signed by the members of Congress -- 37 in the Senate and 193 in the House -- who backed George Bush in banning any expansion of federall-funded embryonic stem cell research.

No-tax pledges worked for Grover Norquist, he says. His organization got local, state and federal officials to swear they would never vote for any tax increases.

So why not the no-cell pledge?

We could start with Congressman Mark Green.

Alter did not include relatives of signers, he said:

They should not be made to pay for the short-sightedness of the politician in the family. And the politician’s health won’t suffer either. If life-saving cures are found from embryonic stem cells—and they’re still several years down the road—you can bet that only fanatics and the suicidal will deny themselves the chance to live, whatever they pledged in 2006.

Alter's column.