>This whole fuss is bs. Except for those who are totally opposed to abortion, pretty much everyone has supported the use of fetal tissue from abortion in research. McConnell was among the vast majority of Republicans who voted to lift a ban on it in 1993:
>
>http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/pelosi-has-remind-gop-about-its-own-record
>

Tamar, I have a rule that I will not quote Fox news directly. I also recommend people not quote MSNBC directly - and in the case of Rachel Maddow, her M.O. has always been to avoid the topic directly and look for some easy way to discredit the opposition. Believe me, I can rip Mitch M. and other Senate Republicans if I put five minutes of effort into it - but none of it addresses the issue at hand. Maddow's entire approach has always been to slam the right in hopes that her ever-decreasing viewer base will breathe a sigh of relief that the entire issue isn't worth getting worked up about.

A few years ago I saw her try that very tactic on the Bill Maher show when talking about Fast and Furious - but she didn't count on a well-educated libertarian on the show who just ripped her to pieces for being uninformed.

Back to the topic: there are many reasons why PP should be hauled in front of Congress as a condition to receiving future funding. I agree that some of the evidence is circumstantial, but certainly strong enough to warrant investigation. And remember something - I am pro-choice in the first 2 trimesters, so you cannot paint me as a pro-life zealot.

But there is one very, very pressing question. You're not required to answer it, but I would hope this question will give you pause to reconsider if this entire story is really "just b.s."

Here it is....Stem Express has admitted they sometimes receive "fully intact fetuses from abortion clinics". Those are their exact words, and they used them more than once..."fully intact". Stem Express also admitted (elsewhere) that for harvested tissue and organs to be usable, drugs (such as Digoxin poison, which would otherwise be used to stop the heart) cannot be used in the procedure.

See where I'm going with this?

Therein lies the controversy. It's not surprising, therefore, that Stem Express and the National Abortion Federation went running to federal judges (including an Obama appointee who helped raise over 200K for Obama in the past) seeking restraining orders. They likely realize that there's more video footage that Stem Express will want to suppress.

There are other possible questions about the unique medical value of fetal tissue...and certainly questions about PP possibly acknowleding they profit - but for right now, the question I just raised is they key one in this entire story.