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Dear Ms. Snyder: I hesitated to respond to this post since I have witnessed the acrimony which arises on this issue in the group. My wife has had Parkinson's for a number of years. My mother had it and it was horrible. No medication worked for her and at that time, there was only Sinemet as I recall. Parkinson's really helped ruin her life. I too, am Catholic and pro-life. I know how sensitive this issue is and how tightly people with Parkinson's and those love and care for them cling to any hope for a cure or even any treatment which would substantially improve their condition. But we must still be clear about what we are doing and saying. I can understand someone being in favor of stem cell research. But the fact is that your priest is wrong if he is stating that life begins at implantation according to official Catholic teaching. Of course anyone can believe or say whatever he wishes but he shouldn't represent that belief as what the Church teaches. Church teaching is verifiable, a matter of fact for all to see. One can of course disagree with it but that doesn't change the fact of what it is. If I claimed to be a Marxist but rejected one or more of the basic tenets of Marxism, observers would be correct in saying that I am not following true Marxist doctrine. If anyone departs from true Catholic teaching, even if he is a priest, then he or she must face that fact. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) deals explicitly with this issue: CCC 2270-2275. The Church has rejected the notion that life begins only after implantation for the very reason that it allows wiggle room for a number of practices which are a threat to human life. See: http://www.nccbuscc.org/prolife/publicat/lifeinsight/sept98.htm You may disagree with that teaching; many Catholics do especially in America even including some priests and religious. (I could probably find a priest who would deny the divinity of Christ or the Real Presence in the Eucharist.) But that doesn't change the teaching itself. I make this observation in the hope that there should be clarity on this issue. I know how heated this discussion can be but at least we should be clear about the teaching of the Church itself. Then if one wishes to depart from it, he will at least know what he is doing. Again, please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that I am a particularly good Catholic. I should spend much more time in the confessional than I do. This is not a I am holier than thou argument. But I do know when I am departing from my Church's teaching in thought or deed. Wishing you and all those afflicted with this disease and those who care for them the very best this New Year, Rob Ramsey ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joan Snyder" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 12:59 PM Subject: friends: > i have had an exhilirating day today. i thought that it would be quite > the opposit. you see, several weeks ago, my favorite Catholic priest in > the world wrote me an email, which he called me his parkinson's care > partner. i thought at first that this some kind of cruel joke that > Father was playing on me but then i began to realize hat nobody would > joke about this. so later on that day, he called me and we spoke of his > dxes. and the future and how we would face whatever it was that lay > before us with the helpof our faith. he was going to the neuro on the > tuesday before Christmas to get his doctor's diagnosis of pd validated > by a neuro and he was really looking forward to seeing this new doc to > find out just what it was that he had and to ask him some of the million > questions that any newbie has, on that tuesday afternoon, he called me > and was very discouraged. the neuro had spent all of 10 minutes with > Father, told him that he was too young to get pd and after all, he > admitted that he wasn't any good at detecting parkinson's disease > anyway. why does this sound so familiar to me-i guess that it is because > i hear this same thing from all over the country. inept doctors with no > awareness of the effects of their diagnosis or the burden this becomes > on the entire family. i immediatly emailed my friend and movement > disorder specialist, Dr. Marc Katchen and set up an appointment for > today. Father and Dr, allowed me in the room for the exam and as soon as > Father came in (i hadn't seen him for over 2 years), i could tell the > difference. Father was shaking from the inside out and even though his > sense of humor was undisturbed, i could tell that he was afraid that > this would jeopardize his ability to say daily Mass and to run the five > parishes that he is the pastor for. i listened to him tell of his > symptoms and i was astonished at his progression in two short years. Dr. > Katchen asked me for my imput and i had to say that i hated to admit it > but if it quacked like pd and it looked like pd, then it was probably > pd. but Dr. Katchen had a different idea: he said that Father's tremors > were too rapid for pd and that his tremors were all when he worked > against gravity (ie: his spoon shakes on the way up to his mouth rather > than when he stops and tries to put the food into his mouth. he said > that pd is more of a resting tremor. anyway, Dr. Katchen's diagnoisis > was Essential Tremor which can be controlled by drugs, isn't progressive > and doesn't lead to dementia. we were all overjoyed. > _now for the good part._ we went to lunch and Father asked me what i > thought about embryonic stem cell research. boy, i was thinking that > might come up but not to be put on the spot so suddenly. all of my > thoughts drained out of the bottom of my feet and i almost even > considered lying to a priest!! but somehow, i gathered my wits and told > the entire table about my experience with stem cells and how i felt that > i was a pro-life Catholic who believed in embryonic stem cell research. > when i was finished, i sat ready to take the heat for all that i had > just finished speaking about. nobody said a word and then Father said, " > joan, you are exactly right." he went on to explain that conception does > not occur when the egg is fertilized by the sperm, but that the true > moment of conception occurs when the fertilized egg implants itself into > the wall of the uterus and thereby becomes a viable , living thing. i > was so astonished by the sense that this made that i nearly fell into my > soup. he said that conception brought about in a beaker or a test tube > with no chance of ever being brought to term inside a woman's womb is > not conception. he said that my fight for enbryonic stem cell research > was a good and worthy battle. Amen > > > -- > 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