Bill Frist in Bloomberg.com


On Abortion: Supports stem-cell research after initially opposing it

Frist angered conservatives when he reversed his earlier position and split from Bush by supporting expanded federal funding to study embryonic stem cells as potential treatments for disease. Bush and some Christian groups favor limiting the research, citing moral concerns because embryos must be destroyed to harvest the cells. Frist said the potential medical benefits outweighed those considerations.
Source: Laura Litvan in Bloomberg News Nov 30, 2006

On Families & Children: Damaged reputation by misdiagnosing Terri Schiavo by video

Frist sided with conservatives in March 2005 by convening an emergency Senate session to prevent the husband of a brain-damaged Florida woman, Terri Schiavo, from allowing her to die by removing her from life support. Polls show he damaged his standing with the public after he reviewed video images of Schiavo & indicated she was “not somebody in a persistent vegetative state.” After a court battle over whether to keep her alive ended with her death, an autopsy found she had a severely atrophied brain.
Source: Laura Litvan in Bloomberg News Nov 30, 2006

On Tax Reform: Pushed compromise: reduce Estate Tax & raise minimum wage

While Frist long sided with fiscal conservatives who want a permanent repeal of the federal estate tax, he was criticized as an ineffectual leader this year when he saw such a proposal lacked support and instead tried unsuccessfully to push a reduction in the levy. A compromise he forged that combined the estate-tax measure with an increase in the minimum wage by $2.10 and the extension of research tax credit favored by business failed in the Senate.
Source: Laura Litvan in Bloomberg News Nov 30, 2006

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Page last updated: Dec 15, 2021