I am an at-home mother of six children, four of whom are now adults. I've been married for 31 years and my children range from 15 to 27. This blog is about faith, family, and life, with occasional rants about politics and other hot-button issues for me. I am Catholic and by that I mean I believe in faithfulness to the Magisterium.
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Is this not a human being?
Reflections on life, faith, family and the times we live in
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by a mom at home raising kids.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Letter to the Editor-- embryonic stem cell research
I used to write lots of letters to the Ann Arbor News. I haven't written one in a while though, probably because I get my writing practice (fun) taken care of here in my blog.
(We'll see if they publish it. Obama's presidency just gets scarier and scarier.)
On Saturday the Ann Arbor News printed a front page headline article celebrating (practically) Obama's expected lifting tomorrow of the restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. Keep in mind that this is a community that once some time ago, by City Council Resolution, declared itself a "Zone of Reproductive Freedom," meaning that if Roe v. Wade were ever overturned Ann Arbor would still allow abortions. Don't get me wrong. I love Ann Arbor in spite of these occasional embarrassing incidents of insanity.
So, given the political climate of my hometown, I felt this headline article needed a response.
I wrote the following:
Dear Editor,
In the gushing front page article about President Obama's lifting of the limits on embryonic stem cell research the News demonstrates a disturbingly simplistic attitude toward the ethics of life issues. Reporter David Gershman could have done your readers a better service by actually addressing the ethical issue of embryonic stem cell research instead of merely mentioning that one exists.
I do not doubt the good intentions of Sean Morrison, the director of U of M's Center for Stem Cell Biology. But why was he not asked how he justifies the killing of a human life in the interest of science? Does he not consider an embryo to be human life? It would have been interesting to hear a biologist try to make this case. Every reader of the News was once an embryo. Living things do not change identity. What is a human being now was a human being at conception, a person with a genetic identity that will never be repeated in all of human history.
The embryos were destined to be destroyed anyway? How does that justify their destruction? Shall we next experiment on the terminally ill? In reality, we are all terminal.
A senior Obama official said that the aim of the policy is to restore "scientific integrity" to the process. What an ironic choice of words. Any scientific endeavor that does not have as its firm foundation a profound respect for the mysterious sanctity of human life will always be utterly lacking in moral integrity.
Sincerely,
Rosemary Bogdan
(We'll see if they publish it. Obama's presidency just gets scarier and scarier.)
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Just because we CAN do something doesn't mean we SHOULD.
I am infuriated that my tax dollars will fund this abomination.
Pray pray pray!
Ruthann
Thank you for doing this. Oh how I wish I could phrase things better. Danny does a worthwhile job every so often..mine are more simplistic and from the heart very much, however, I live in the very intellectual home of Indiana Univ. My heart feelings are never quite good enough for many here...its just a good chuckle for some of the elite, I'm afraid. Still, no excuse and I should sit myself down...pen and paper and make more of an effort than I have in awhile.
God bless you!
'thann, i know, we must pray.
Suzanne, your heartfelt feelings touch people too, I'm sure.
Thank you, Lynz.
Suzanne, Good for him! Hope it's published too.
CM, read your post. What is wrong with Obama. Why the commitment to evil? Your post is great.