Ben Carson just made life very hard for the GOP: Why his fetal tissue research matters

[DonViejo]

Ben Carson's involvement with fetal tissue research is a big problem for the GOP's fight against Planned Parenthood

SIMON MALOY

Well, the simmering scandal over the Planned Parenthood undercover sting videos has finally succeeded in tripping up a 2016 candidate. Retired neurosurgeon and sayer of crazy things Ben Carson has, like most Republicans and conservatives, been harshly critical of Planned Parenthood for its controversial (and perfectly legal) practice of donating tissues from aborted fetuses to medical research groups. But, as Buzzfeed reported yesterday, Carson himself has done research on fetal brain tissue. That in itself is not a controversial development – doctors and scientists have been using fetal tissue for decades to develop treatments and cures for terrible diseases. But with the conservative movement up in arms over the Planned Parenthood videos, it poses something of a political dilemma for Carson, who is stridently in opposition to abortion rights.

The Washington Post’s Dave Weigel asked Carson about the fetal tissue research he’s conducted and Carson, to his credit, stood by the work he’s done. But his attempt at distancing himself from the broader issue of fetal tissue donation was technical and confusing:

There was no contradiction between this science and Carson’s pro-life views, he said. “My primary responsibility in that research was when I operated on people and obtained the tissue,” said Carson, who noted that he has not used fetal tissue samples since then. “This has everything to do with how it’s required. If you’re killing babies and taking the tissue, that’s a very different thing than taking a dead specimen and keeping a record of it.”

I’ve read through Carson’s statement several times and I’m still not entirely sure what he is trying to say. Thankfully, I don’t seem to be the only person who is baffled by his attempt at explaining this. The Post’s Amber Phillips writes that Carson seems to be alleging that Planned Parenthood is performing abortions specifically so that fetal tissue will be available for medical research, but that’s an allegation that “Planned Parenthood has flatly rejected and isn’t proven by the videos.”

At the very least, Carson is trapped in an inconsistency and he’s having a great deal of difficulty explaining it. And while that doesn’t make Carson look particularly good, his involvement with fetal tissue research and his tortured defense of it also cause problems for the other candidates and conservatives who are trying to demagogue the issue.

more
http://www.salon.com/2015/08/14/ben_carson_just_made_life_very_hard_for_the_gop_why_his_fetal_tissue_research_matters/

[Supersedeas]

1. like an endless circle

[Gothmog]

2. The GOP will sell Carson out in a second

The other candidates will turn on Carson as soon as it is fun to do so

[DirkGently]

3. Yes, it appears he wants to imply Planned Parenthood

is somehow generating abortions in order to obtain fetal tissue, which in turn assumes they are profiting from it, which they are not.

Lies upon lies upon lies.

It continues to amaze me how people who are otherwise brilliant manage to torture logic and reason so thoroughly at the same time.

[spanone]

4. hypocrisy seems to be an asset to republicans

[RussBLib]

5. yet another issue blows up in Republican faces

it's uncanny how often things that they go nuts about turn out to be untrue or practically the opposite.

Makes me wonder how any self-respecting person can even support the GOP, unless they are also racist, or sexist, or just plain fucking greedy as hell.