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List, My letter to the editor was published today in the Texas Polk County Enterprise. They added the title "Seems Morally Justified" Bob Martone [log in to unmask] http://www.samlink.com/~bmartone ------------------------------------ Pro-Life! Is there a choice? In a few days the President will announce his decision regarding Federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Many diseases stand to benefit enormously from this research. These include Parkinsons, Alzheimers, Diabetes, and heart disease. Embryonic stem cell research looks like it may be the best chance yet for developing the cures. My wife Nancy has suffered with Parkinson's Disease for 26 years. Might this be her chance? The stem cell controversy deals in part with the retrieval of cells from left over zygotes (pre embryos) that remain unused after a couple successfully achieves pregnancy through in vitro fertilization (IVF). The cells left over are frozen and after some period of time destroyed. The use of these cells in the search for a cure for Parkinson's and other diseases is the issue. Some argue that since end of life is now legally defined as being "brain dead", that beginning of life perhaps should be defined when there is brain activity. This would suggest that life begins at about eight weeks after conception. The exact moment of when life starts remains controversial. I have been reassessing my own system of values as it relates to this complex subject. It seems to me that the issues fall into two categories: The first is science and the second is belief systems. The science of a single life form has a starting and an ending point. The belief systems that interpret those points are almost never ending. Science relies heavily on knowledge, quantitative knowledge. Belief systems involve reverence for a supernatural power tempered by knowledge. Ethics and morality seem to flow logically from the application of belief systems and knowledge. Some place greater emphasis on the belief system, others place greater emphasis on the science and others try to wrestle with the two. For me it has been nearly impossible to separate these two issues. My belief system is that life should be protected and preserved and that life begins at conception. My knowledge now causes me to challenge that notion. I now know that females are born with more eggs than can ever be used during childbearing years. I also know that males are capable of producing more sperm than could ever be used to fertilize their spouses' eggs. Therefore the potential to produce life through traditionally acceptable means (sanctioned monogamous relationships) allows most potential life giving gametes to die. In vitro fertilization takes the problem one step further. Many zygotes (pre-embryos) are left over and frozen in case they are needed for another try at pregnancy. The pluripotent stem cells found in these zygotes can be extracted and coaxed into becoming a variety of potentially life saving cells that may soon be able to cure diseases like Parkinson's. Today most of these zygote cells are allowed to die. As a pro-life thinker today I find myself asking why all this death? Why are these cells left to go unused? Could it be that the supernatural power that I do believe exists is revealing new life opportunities to me or am I somehow violating the ethical bounds imposed by my traditional belief systems. My leaning today is to allow the exploration of these cells to proceed in a guarded and regulated way. I would proceed based on the knowledge we possess and the body of belief systems including religious beliefs that provide the moral and ethical constraints that have served mankind so well. Science may be able to establish when life begins but each belief system will continue to spin that knowledge to support their particular view. While the taking of any life troubles me, and probably always will, my spin on this knowledge is that the current use of excess zygotes/embryo's from in vitro fertilization to end the killing caused by disease seems morally and ethically justified. To express your views call the White House comments line 1-202-456-1414 (9AM-5PM Eastern M-F). You can make a difference. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn