Embryo's Lawyer Gets Eye Rolls in Federal Court

An embryo represented by Martin Palmer had its day in federal court on Tuesday in Pasadena. The hearing was to specifically address the appropriate venue where Palmer's case against California's stem cell bond measure Proposition 71 should be filed (for more background, read this). But the attorney took the opportunity to make a dramatic appeal for Mary Scott Doe, a frozen embryo.

In Tuesday's hearing, Palmer started his argument by paraphrasing the Bible.

"In the beginning there was a message and that message is life," he said, then later quoted the New Testament's Gospel according to John.

"Your argument is quite eloquent but it's not addressing why we're here today," said Judge Kim Wardlaw. Undeterred, Palmer sought to liken
Doe's situation to the plight of slaves before the Civil War. The choice of the name "Scott" is a deliberate reference to Dred Scott, the slave who in 1857 lost a lawsuit aimed to win his freedom, Palmer said.

"Have embryos been enslaved?" Fernandez asked.

Palmer replied they had, and added that California was "abandoning its heritage" because it was admitted into the Union as a free state in
1850.

When
Fernandez pressed Palmer on exactly what injury Doe suffered, he finally said: "We're seeking to invalidate Proposition 71 on its face."

Palmer then accused the defendants of ignoring the issue of the morality of stem-cell research by focusing on the legal issue of venue.

"Maybe you can think of something relevant to argue," Wardlaw said after Palmer took a recess from his argument.

That's a long blockquote, but it needed to be reproduced in its full glory. And the drama didn't stop there! Palmer proceeded to scatter rose petals on the courtroom floor, saying the represented the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine destroying life. Wardlaw rolled her eyes.

Click here for the full audio of the hearing.

Attorney Represents Frozen Human Embryo [MSNBC]