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Bravo Joan! I think you have expressed the opinion of many who could not find the words; and I do understand it was not easy. I would like to add that if "artificially inseminated eggs that are frozen with no possibility of ever becoming life" can contribute in any way to saving lives, they can have a higher purpose and perhaps a slice of life after all. Nancy P. On May 27, 2005, at 5:18 AM, Joan Snyder wrote: > I have been torn in two by the embryonic stem cell debate. I have > found myself waffling and playing the devil’s advocate…rather than > making a decision and sticking by that position. I think that I have > finally come to a realization that this is something that I must > finally > take a stand on just to help me maintain some balance. > > First let me tell you that I am pro-life and that it really bothers me > to hear the words “pro-abortion” come out of anyone’s mouth. I do not > for a moment believe that anyone on this earth would go on record as an > abortion advocate. I have known too many young women who have been > faced > with this overwhelming decision and I can tell you that not one of them > who went ahead with the abortion, in any way ever experienced anything > but guilt and remorse-I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone > would think of this agonizing situation as nice or even pleasant. > > Now that I have made that statement, I also resent the image of > in-vitro > fertilized eggs as “frozen orphanages”- these are eggs that have been > artificially inseminated in a petrie dish and are left-overs that will > never make it to a mother’s warm and nourishing womb. > > And what I resent most of all is being made to feel like I am in a > position such as that faced by Sophie in “Sophie’s Choice.” That movie > has long haunted me, and kept me up many a night wondering how I would > have reacted to the Nazi that ordered her to make an “on the spot” > decision as to which of my children would be killed and which one would > survive. > > I have felt that struggle inside of me for years now-of trying to > resolve the dilemma that I faced: who would I choose??-my dear friends > who have Parkinson’s and who are getting worse before my eyes and > recently, beginning to die off one by one or the batches of faceless, > invisible to the human eye, clumps of cells that bear no resemblance to > a human being. > > I do not believe that a Loving and Caring God would put me into a > terrible situation where I would have to choose one or the other and I > believe that I have found the words that will help me to live with my > decision. Pope John Paul II said that we must respect life from the > womb > to the tomb…I take that to mean from the natural beginning of life > until > its’ end. And I do not believe that a byoclast artificially begun in a > dish and never destined to be transferred to the mother’s womb is life. > Sure it is the potential for life but so are eggs and sperm that are > washed away in our sheets daily. I can now say that I believe that life > is life and artificially inseminated eggs that are frozen with no > possibility of ever being implanted into a woman’s womb are just > artificially inseminated eggs that are frozen with no possibility of > ever becoming life. I truly hope that this will finally give me some > sort of peace from this indecision that is just making me sicker. > > -- > Joan Blessington Snyder 54/14 > [log in to unmask] > http://www.pwnkle.com/jes/jes_web/index.htm > “Hang tough……..no way through it but to do it.” > Chris in the Morning Northern Exposure > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn