Altogether appropriate subject matter!

Enjoy!
Rick

----- Original Message -----
From: "rayilynlee" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, February 13, 2006 11:40 AM
Subject: 60 Minutes page 3


> (CBS)
> "Well, when President Bush says he opposes using embryos for stem-cell
> research because that would be destroying an embryo, what does it mean
> that
> embryos are already being destroyed?" Stahl asks Caplan.
>
> "To me, it means that the president's policy is hypocritical and
> deceptive,"
> he replies. "And I say that deliberately because it is not a secret that
> embryos are destroyed at infertility clinics."
>
> "So we have a policy that says, 'Can't destroy them for research. I, as
> president, cannot abide it.' Every day a clinic somewhere, destroys one -
> no
> one says anything," Caplan adds.
>
> Asked why the embryos slated for destruction shouldn't be made available
> for
> research, George says, "The principle that the president laid down and
> which
> I support is one that says all human beings, irrespective of age or size
> or
> stage of development or condition of dependency, possess the same human
> dignity, because human dignity is inherent."
>
> "Are you equating these embryos, these frozen embryos, with a full-grown
> man
> or woman?" Stahl asks.
>
> "I'm saying they have the dignity of a human being, the way a full-grown
> man
> or woman has the dignity of a human being," he replies.
>
> "And you're equating them?" Stahl asks.
>
> "Oh, sure," George says. "Yeah, I'm equating them in terms of human
> dignity."
>
> What does he mean by "dignity"?
>
> "I mean, shouldn't simply be thrown out in the trash. Should be treated
> respectfully, the way we treat the remains of human beings at later stages
> of development," George explains.
>
> "Like what? Like have burials?" Stahl asks.
>
> "Buried or burned," George replies.
>
> "You're saying, take these little bunches of cells, and have burials for
> them?" Stahl asks.
>
> "Well, you say bunches of cells in order to make burials sound weird,"
> George says. "But those bunches of cells are very unique bunches of cells.
> Those are human beings in the earliest stages of their natural
> development.
> You were one once; I was one once."
>
> "Well, if the president thinks that these are human beings, why is there
> no
> policy or proposal against this discarding into the trash bin?" Stahl
> asks.
> "I don't see politicians flocking to regulate fertility clinics."
>
> "Oh, no, that's certainly true. Politicians aren't flocking," George says.
>
> Asked why, he says: "Well, I think politicians are afraid to touch the
> issue
> of fertility, because they fear that it's the true third rail of American
> politics, maybe a more dangerous issue even than Social Security.
> Politicians do fear the potential political backlash of trying to regulate
> the industry."
>
> Art Caplan says no matter what the politicians do, thousands and thousands
> of the excess embryos will end up being destroyed anyway.
>
> "Freezing them longer and longer and longer is basically to destroy them,"
> says Caplan.
>
> But some people argue these embryos are life.
>
> "Well some people say they're life, and my response is: you can slowly
> destroy them or you can destroy them in a quicker way," Caplan says. "But
> to
> say that their fate is anything other than destruction is a delusion, and
> everybody knows it. There's no escaping it. Once you realize there are
> 400,000 frozen embryos, some of which are in bad shape, some of which have
> been there a long time, you can give all the life speeches you want,
> they're
> not going anywhere. And if you want to feel good about it and say, 'Well,
> they're frozen,' then it's like saying 'No one will die in America, cause
> we
> have cryogenics. We'll freeze everybody's body and then death won't
> happen.'
> "
>
> After agonizing for 13 years, the Madsens finally made their decision:
> their
> four embryos are going to stem-cell research. But George doesn't think
> couples like the Madsen's should even have the right to make that
> decision.
>
> "This is a decision that we as a community have to make. It can't be left
> to
> individual choice to decide," he says.
>
> "Why not? Why not leave it to individual choice when it comes to an
> embryo?
> Why isn't that a religious decision for the couples to make?" Stahl asks.
>
> "It's certainly not a religious decision anymore than infanticide is a
> religious decision," George says. "You can find ancient cultures whose
> religions authorized infanticide. But that didn't make it right. And that
> doesn't mean that we should accept it."
>
>
>   1  |   2  |  3
>
> By Rich Bonin ©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
> INSIDE 60 Minutes
> Billions Wasted In Iraq?
> U.S. Official Says Oversight Was "Nonexistent"
>
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