MICHAEL J. FOX AD ON STEM CELL RESEARCH
Embryonic stem cell research is one of the recurrent topics brought up in conjunction with abortion. Christopher Reeve put a human face on it, Nancy Reagan has become an advocate, etc.
One Reader's Digest article I came across some time ago was written by a Parkinson't Disease patient who dared anyone against it to come to his door and tell him face to face why he should be condemned to die because of someone else's beliefs on an embryo's "right to life". It can get pretty emotional, especially when you're faced with someone suffering like that. Fortunately it's just an intellectual exercise for me so far. I haven't known anyone affected like that. So far anyway.
Today The Anchoress www.theanchoressonline.com takes up the subject along with the topic of an ad Michael J. Fox is involved in. The Anchoress is, IMHO, always thoughtful and never shrill. So if you're interested, take a look.
5 comments:
I don't think anything should be of the table, as far as scientific research is concerned.
Science and religion should not compete, they should compliment. Nothing we've learned so far has shaken anyone's belief in God. Nothing we will learn is likely to.
While I can appreciate your point of view I feel there are some things that shouldn't be tolerated.
This topic is a highly emotional one. All too often it turns into an all out war between people of good faith. Recognizing and trying to steer clear of it, I'll say that stem cell research reminds me of Joseph Mengele's work and should be avoided for the same reasons.
Subvet,
I agree with you, harvesting human clones is too similar to harvesting organs from Chinese prisioners, or gassing Jews to see how much they can take. It is taking the life from a human being for experimental purposes, which should not be tolorated in a rational society.
As a Catholic, for me, there can be no answer to this question other than it is wrong.
Creating clones, or even just creating life outside the womb for purposes of harvesting stem cells devalues human life, reducing it to a mere product of manufacturing.
Subvet has a very good point about it being very similar to Jospeh Mengele barbaric experiments, only now we're doing them on a microscopic scale.
The health of a society is measured by how it cares for its weakest most vulnerable members. We abort our babies, we forcibly euthanize our sick and elderly, and we allow those who can't take care of themselves to live on the street. What does that say about our health?
I understand your convictions about stem cell research and also abortion. It's probably the greatist moral debate since abolition of slavery.
I doubt you're going to be able to get this particular genie back in the bottle.
At some point over the next few years, the Supreme Court, the majority of which are now fairly conservative Roman Catholics, are going to turf the issue back to the States. I live in California, which is overwhelmingly pro-choice, including our Grand Dame, Mrs Ronald Reagan. She's pro stem cell too.
South Dakota, with the stringent law they have passed, will be the first test. There is one clinic currently operating in South Dakota, which is under constant siege from anti-abortion demonstrators. The level of threat is such, that a doctor flies in, under heavy guard, a few days a month, to perform what few abortions are scheduled.
My understanding is that when abortion becomes illegal in South Dakota, several of the States Tribal Councils, which have supported the ban, are looking into discreetly opening clinics adjacent to their gambling resorts. The Sioux still have a few buffalo bones to pick with The Great White Father.
The number of abortions continues to shrink in this country. I expect the issue to subside. Planned Parenthood and the National Organization of Women are the only two organizations that continue to actively fight the fight.
I look forward to State by State votes. They should have done it 33 years ago. This is one of the few issues that I disagreed with Earl Warren. He is remembered in California as the conservative Republican Governor that forced the evacuation of Japanese Americans from the West Coast and later delivered the State to Eisenhower in 1950. Both of which, I think, were good things.
Post a Comment