This issue has been especially dear to ash since ashlover learned of his disease which might well benefit from this promising research. Even before ashlover’s discovery she was adamant about the cause which practically defines liberal compassion and which strikes her as absolutely clear cut.
The medical community defines death as the cessation not of the heart but of brain activity. Life, accordingly, begins not with the fusion of egg and sperm in the womb or petri dish but as the developing fetus becomes aware of its own existence, that is, develops a brain. That's my standard, as valid as anyone else's.
Catholic League President William Donahue can shout as vociferously as he likes, but until he is prepared to declare Catholicism our national religion (the fatuous argument that church/state separation is not mentioned in the Constitution notwithstanding) the case he makes against embryonic stem cell research is moot. Rather than impose his moral imperatives on an entire, diverse nation, I would advise him not to indulge in the potential cure to the debilitating disease he may one day face. Meanwhile, I vehemently denounce his attempt to legally deprive others, who may not share his prohibitive beliefs, from taking advantage of the opportunity.
While Mr. Donahue's God forbids destroying tiny specks of perpetual pre-life, my God instructs me to praise the scientific breakthroughs of the men and women upon whom He has bestowed brilliance and perseverance. Thank God there is room for both views in our country.