Unveiling the Light

President Bush has met a challenge from both Democrats and Republicans and delivered the first veto of his administration as he rejected federal funding for fetal stem cell research. Why has this become such a big issue that even his own party would pass this legislation?

Few people seem to be aware of all the facts of this matter. First we should realize that research on fetal stem cells has been undergoing for some time. President Bush and Congress have allowed federal research working with certain stem cell lines that had already entered the laboratory pipeline. The current law only prohibits federal funding of research into new stem cells but even this has not stopped research.

Research has continued all over the world and in the United States using new lines of fetal stem cells. It simply is not funded by the federal government. Even the state of California is funding research although it does so in the hope of drawing such labs to the state and getting a jump on other states. The governor is hoping for a new tech boom based on stem cell research. There is nothing to stop private companies, who make millions if not billions off of medicine and medical procedures, from doing their own research or funding universities to do it for them. Private funding of such research is perfectly lawful. President Bush has refused to allow federal funding of this research but has done nothing to stop the research of private companies.

What is startling is that all progress on stem cell research has come not from fetal stem cells but from adult stem cells and stem cells harvested from the placenta at birth. There has been no progress or even promise of cures from fetal stem cells. There is plenty of hope and theory but none of it has resulted in laboratory progress. Meanwhile there has been real and measurable progress using stem cells harvested without harm to anyone and without going against the moral guidelines of so many.

Why then is there so much support for the use of fetal stem cells in federally funded research? To fund such research with tax dollars forces those in opposition to financially support something they see as morally corrupt. If, like many, you understand life to begin at conception, the fertilizing of an egg, then to harvest fetal stem cells is akin to sacrificing human life for the benefit of other humans. You have to kill the fetus to harvest the cells. That such research may help others was the same justification used by Nazi doctors when experimenting on humans that they felt were bound to die anyway. Of course, they failed to note that they were bound to die because of the policies of their own government.

That these cells are human life was demonstrated by those who surrounded President Bush at the announcement of his veto. Over 100 "angel babies" were in the room. There are babies conceived because their parents "adopted" fertilized eggs left over from others who received artificial insemination. To date there have been over 400 such births. Instead of destroying unused eggs, generous women are allowing others to adopt them. (The existence of excess fertilized eggs is a common occurrence with in vitro fertilization and is one of the reasons the Catholic Church is against such artificial means of conception.

With all progress in stem cell research occurring in harmlessly harvesting adult or placenta stem cells, why then do so many wish to push a method so morally repugnant to others. Already the State of California is needlessly causing many to involuntarily support such research. It does so not so much for the sake of any cure but for the sake of founding new businesses. Thus the state forces many to indirectly support a process they see to me akin to murder of a human life, and they make us do it for economic reasons.

I believe this has more to do with intolerance for any beliefs that have even the possibility of standing in the way of our own human progress. Our society has become so enamored with itself that God has become merely an obstacle to our own grandeur, yet we demonstrate that we lack the same basic respect for life that our Creator calls us to have. Our morality is flexible and we seem to always reserve the right to accept anything that has benefit to us. The beliefs of others, the funds of rich and poor alike and even future generations are to suffer so that we may thrive. The primary focus of our lives seems to be ourselves. How sad!