Evan Wynn Stem Cell Stance: Lying to the Media or Lying to Pro-Life Wisconsin?

MADISON, Wis. — Whitewater driver’s education instructor Evan Wynn received the endorsement of the extremist group Pro-Life Wisconsin, which requires endorsed candidates to ban embryonic stem cell research, but apparently told the editorial board of the Wisconsin State Journal a different answer. The State Journal said of Wynn, a Republican candidate for the 43rd Assembly District, “he’s not about to shut down UW-Madison’s amazing stem cell research.”

“Evan Wynn lied to the Wisconsin State Journal or he lied to Pro-Life Wisconsin,” said Ross. “You can’t tell one group you would ban the most promising form of stem cell research and tell another group that you would not shut down stem cell research.”

Twenty percent of Pro-Life Wisconsin’s candidate survey includes questions on stem cell research. In order to receive the endorsement, candidate must promise:

Question 4. Would you vote in favor of legislation that prohibits the use of the following for research: any human body part obtained through an induced abortion, whose human embryos, and stem cells extracted from human embryos?

and

Question 5. Would you vote in favor of legislation that prohibits all forms of human cloning, including so-called “research cloning” that destroys cloned human embryos by extracting their stem cells?

In a press release earlier today, Wynn referenced the newspaper endorsement and quoted the four-sentence text of the endorsement, pointedly leaving out the stem cell portion of the article. See the Wynn release: http://www.evanwynn.com/?p=754

“Make no mistake, to get the endorsement of the extremists at Pro-Life Wisconsin, you have oppose the promise of embryonic stem cell research,” said Ross. “By opposing stem cell research, Evan Wynn would be a threat to the tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars economic development embryonic stem cell research represents for people in every corner of Wisconsin. Most importantly, he would fight against the promise of stem cell research to end disease, treat injuries and end human suffering.”

The governor’s office reports Wisconsin is home to 600 bioscience companies, 11 stem cell companies and 34,000 jobs through bioscience.