Read Pete's Right To Life Vision

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - PRESS RELEASE

Read Pete's Right To Life Vision

Nebraskans value a culture of life. We respect life from conception until natural death. That means protecting the unborn, infirmed, disabled, elderly, and dying, and respecting each other and working together instead of calling each other names. That's how Nebraskans value life and the way I want to represent Nebraskans in Washington. I am a pro-life Republican who believes life begins at conception. I also believe that the question of access to abortion should be a state's rights issue. I am optimistic that with our respect for life, we can change the culture of the nation and help others respect the sanctity of life.

To encourage a culture of life we must:

? Encourage a culture of civility;

? Promote life and adoption;

? Support an end to federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and cloning;

? Support funding and education for adult stem cell research.

Encourage a Culture of Civility

Nebraskans treat each other civilly and with dignity. We work together instead of calling each other names. As your United States Senator, I will treat people like Nebraskans do, working to promote an atmosphere of discussion and consensus building. By treating each other with civility and respect, I hope to encourage a culture that would lead to a respect for life and each other.

Promote Life and Adoption

I am a pro-life Republican who believes life begins at conception. It is important to protect life from the unborn to the aged. I am opposed to abortion. As a husband and father, I believe that in cases where the life of the mother is at risk, the family should decide under the principle of double effect. I believe the United States needs to promote a culture of life, and one way to do that is to encourage adoption rather than abortion. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the number of children adopted has remained steady each year since 2001. To continue promoting adoption, we should examine ways to aid parents in raising families and encourage people to open their homes to more children.

Support an End to Federal Funding for Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Cloning

Embryonic stem cell research is the destruction of a living human embryo for the purposes of scientific experimentation. I do not support the use of federal dollars to promote or continue this research. Embryonic stem cell research has yet to prove itself as a viable tool for the treatment of disease and we ought not to pursue this avenue of research. I believe that life begins at conception and will not support destructive embryonic stem cell research.

Support Funding and Education for Adult Stem Cell Research

We must support ethical research that favors life. Adult stem cell research has created treatments for several diseases, including bone marrow transplants to treat cancer. This form of stem cell research does not require the destruction of a human embryo, but rather allows scientists to extract living cells from living people without harm. I support federal funding for adult stem cell research. It is ethically sound and has proven itself a valuable tool in the fight against disease. We must encourage the public to become educated on the differences between adult stem cell and embryonic stem cell research.

Encouraging a culture of civility, promoting life and adoption while limiting and ending abortion, ending federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and cloning, and supporting funding and education for adult stem cell research are the policy decisions that will protect life in all circumstances. But we need more than policy; we need a culture that respects life in all forms. As your United States Senator, I will work to promote ethical research, sound science, and the protection of families. As Nebraskans, we believe in civility, we believe in mutual respect, and we believe in life. Nebraska Values make a difference.

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