Mel Gibson, Director of “Passion of the Christ,” said during an interview on “Good Morning America” that he does not support stem cell research but would support adult stem cell research.
Gibson said he was initially overjoyed when he heard about Proposition 71, a California initiative to spend $3 billion on embryonic stem cell research. Interest payments on the state bonds would bring the true cost of the research to $6 billion.
After discovering what embryonic stem cell research would involve, Gibson, a Roman Catholic, changed his mind.
"I found that the cloning of human embryos will be used in the process and that, for me, I have an ethical problem with that," he said. "Why do I, as a taxpayer, have to fund something I believe is unethical?"
He told ABC’s Diane Sawyer that he would refuse stem cells from cloned human embryos for himself and his child.
“If were sick and I was given the option to use stem cells harvested from the cloning of human embryos, I would not accept it!” asserted Gibson.
Roberta Combs, president of Christian Coalition of America, commended Gibson for his stance.
"I agree with Mel Gibson's belief that destroying days-old human embryos on research which has virtually no hope of success is immoral,” Combs said. “Christian Coalition strongly opposes California's Proposition 71 and urges all California voters to vote no on this unnecessary and wasteful spending measure."
California’s Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has endorsed the proposition, putting him at odds with his party’s platform.
Pro-family and pro-life religious groups object to embryonic stem cell research, holding the view that life begins at conception.
