This year I’ve gotten much more physically active. I started out by running the Capital 10K and plan on running a half marathon this spring. Eventually I’d like to do a full marathon. Sound crazy? With me the crazier the better. So recently when I heard about the BP MS150, I thought it was crazy – right down my alley. “The BP MS 150 Bike Tour is a two-day cycling adventure from Houston to Austin that raises funds to help people living with MS.” How far is it from Houston to Austin you might ask? The bike route is about 170 miles. I don’t even want to drive from Houston to Austin so I’m not sure why I wanted to bike it, but I was pretty excited about it. Now on to problem #1. I don’t have a road bike. Road bikes aren’t cheap either; an entry level bike is around $700-$1000! Plus there is the $75 entry fee and the $400 fundraising commitment. But if there is something I’m good at, it’s talking Jenny into things and I got her to agree to let me get a road bike. Now on to problem #2. I’m sure the National Multiple Sclerosis Society does a lot of great things, but… unfortunatly they support embryonic stem cell research and actively lobby in favor of it. That problem is a showstopper for me as I’m morally and ethically opposed to embryonic stem cell research. So as excited as I was about riding 170 miles in two days on a bike, I’ll be sitting this one out.

I won’t go in-depth into the debate about embryonic stem cell research. There is a lot of debate about the promise, or lack there of, of embryonic stem cell research versus the existing benefits of adult stem cell research although in my mind the decision has nothing to do with potential benefits. I believe human life begins at conception and as thus, embryonic stem cell research requires the destruction of a human life. This is something I cannot support under any circumstance.