In the final days of the Legislature's just completed special session, Joe Pojman, the executive director of Texas Alliance for Life... told his legions that scientists might conduct embryonic stem cell research at the Houston facility. Not surprisingly, the prospect of state funding for such research-in which stem cells are taken from discarded embryos-didn't sit well with the anti-abortion crowd. Pojman's group made so much noise about the addition of the bioresearch center that the University of Texas System officials withdrew their request for the facility. They were forced to remove it for fear that the revenue bond bill wouldn't pass, jeopardizing higher education projects for every university system in the state.

One problem: Pojman and his activist friends seem to have misunderstood the work that would be done at the proposed bioresearch center. A university spokesman said the facility planned research not on the controversial embryonic stem cells, but rather on adult stem cells-research that doesn't rely on embryos and that the religious right generally supports. "As I stated from the very beginning of the project concept, only human adult stem cell research-not embryonic stem cells-was planned to be conducted in the biomedical research and education facility at UTHSC," Anthony P. de Bruyn, assistant to the vice chancellor for external relations and assistant director for public affairs for the university system, wrote in an e-mail to the Observer.
But a pledge from UT didn't deter the Texas Alliance for Life and its assault on the proposed bioresearch center. And it certainly wasn't going to dissuade Pojman from taking some credit for killing the idea. In a May 12 e-mail after UT had withdrawn the proposal, Pojman wrote to his supporters, "After state representatives received a large number of pro-life calls from constituents, an unprecedented pro-life victory occurred yesterday in the Texas House." Maybe a hollow victory.

Indeed.

On its web site, the Alliance states:  

The pro-life movement strongly supports stem cell research, so long as that research involves only adult stem cells and not human embryonic stem cells.

Nevertheless the Alliance continued to fib and crow about their hollow victory:

Huge victory in Texas Legislature!

Pro-lifers scored a major victory in the Texas Legislature during the recent special session ending May 15 by preventing state tax dollars from being used for research that involves the destruction of human embryos - embryonic stem cell research and cloning.

H.B. 153 was a massive bill that creates more than 60 new buildings on public universities. The initial version authorized and funded a $41,000,000 biomedical research facility in Houston, where research on human embryonic stem cells and cloning was planned.

The win - the first ever on this critical issue EVER in Texas - was sealed on the last day of the session, when the House voted (143 to 3) to concur with the Senate's pro-life amendments to H.B. 153....  Without the support of the leadership in the Capitol - (l. to r.) Governor Rick Perry, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, and House Speaker Tom Craddick - this victory would not have been possible.

So if I understand this correctly.... they were opposed to what they were for, because they didn't know they were for it! And the governor, lt. governor and the speaker of the house helped them oppose what they were actually for. And now they have an e-mail campaign to thank these farsighted statesmen for their leadership.

(Hat tip to Lynn for the link.)