Fighting Misinformation with Misinformation

I guess you just can't believe what a politician says. Following a link to the George W. Bush re-election website I found an article titled "Embryonic Stem Cell Misinformation." This article attempts to point out how John Kerry is supposedly trying to mislead the public about Bush's stance on stem cell research, and I have to admit that the article does make some good points. However, while criticizing the misinformation that it asserts Kerry to have spread, it too contains misinformation. At one point in the article, the "facts" are stated. One of these facts says, "The President's announcement did not ban, limit or restrict stem cell research." That may be true, but it does limit the research that can be done with federal funding, as only those embryonic stem cell lines that were in existence on August 9, 2001, can be used. More stem cells are readily available, but federal funds can not be used to perform research with them. According to a Fox News story, only 21 to 23 strands are available for such research.

Under the Bush policy, no federal funds can be used to destroy human embryos. Advocates of more open research, including the Kerry campaign, argue that scientists should be able to use stem cells from fertility clinic embryos that are no longer wanted by parents, as long as parents give their consent. Otherwise, the embryos would be discarded anyway.

My point here, is not whether or not federal-funded embryonic stem cell research should be done, but that not being completely open about ones policies when accusing someone else of misleading, is misleading itself.