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.)
8 comments:
Thanks for speaking up for those who can't speak up for themselves!
Excellent letter, Rose. I read the article, too, and was mystified at the complete lack of mention of ethics.
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
Your letter is excellent..totally full of intelligence and heart and worthy of saying the Holy Spirit filled you up!
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!
Very well written, Rosemary! I hope they publish it! Let us know!
Danny did write a L to E! He did it last night and I had not even mentioned yours to him. I know this situation has tons of people up in arms! Grrr....
An excellent letter, Rosemary! I hope it does get published. You might want to take a look at my post from today because there was a "hidden clause" in the executive order. Not only did President Obama expand the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, but he rescinded President Bush's order that pushed funding to moral alternatives to embryonic stem cell research. It was hidden in the last sentence of the executive order.
Thank you, GT.
'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.
My experience is that such letters get HEAVILY EDITED. And, thus, watered down. For example, I once wrote a letter to our secular local paper about the babies who are aborted due to pre-natal pregnancy test results showing a possibility of Downs. It was a great letter, accurate statistics and all. They took out my numbers and put in phrases such as, "many babies are aborted. . ." It watered down the whole thing and took the punch out of my point.
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