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No - that's politics using religion as an excuse - again. Quoting rayilynlee <[log in to unmask]>: > Friday, November 30, 2007 > Should Religous Beliefs Dictate Stem Cell Legislation? > ARGUING WITH THE CHURCH: Catholic Beliefs to Dictate Stem Cell Program? > by Don C. Reed www.stemcellbattles.com > > Religious freedom is a fundamental American right, no matter how foolish > that faith may seem to others. If I wanted to worship goldfish, I have the > legal right to do so, without being persecuted-but do I have the right to > impose Goldfish Worship on others? > > My family's faith (though not my own) is Catholic. Should that religion's > beliefs be required of Baptists, Episcopalians, atheists, Muslims, > Presbyterians, Jews, agnostics, Sikhs and Buddhists? > > The Catholic Church is trying to force to force its stem cell research > policies onto everyone. > > This is not a casual attempt, but a world-wide effort, beginning with the > Vatican, which recently opined that supporting embryonic stem cell research > is an excommunicable offense. Think what that means-that I should literally > be condemned to Hell for all eternity for my opinions on medical research? > > To me, that is as nonsensical-and cruel-as the religious belief that > anesthesia in childbirth was against God's wishes, because it said in the > Bible that "In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children." > > Personally, I have more faith in God than that. For me, the reason God gave > us a brain is to think and solve problems. But that is my opinion, and I > would not attempt to enshrine it into law. > > The reason America separates church and state is because there can never be > agreement on something unprovable. How can God be even described, unless we > can bring Him/Her/It into the room with us? And if we cannot describe God > without arguing, how can we ever hope to agree on religious legislation? > > But down through history, the Church has been a power structure, as well as > a source of comfort and wisdom. And when it steps into politics, it must not > be allowed to go unchallenged. > > If religious officialdom forces a law, that affects us all. If you drive > into a town where the Churches "persuaded" local officials to require all > stores to close on Sundays, and you need to buy a quart of milk, you are out > of luck. > > And if you live in a state or a country-or a world--- where stem cell > research was declared illegal. > > In the United Nations, Catholic priests accompanied Bush administration > officials as they attempted to impose a world-wide ban on SCNT (Somatic Cell > Nuclear Transfer, sometimes called therapeutic cloning) an advanced form of > stem cell research. > > Nationally, the Catholic Church's and other Religious Right organizations > routinely bully and terrify legislators, utterly controlling the Republican > Party's stem cell policy, preventing the passage of even such a moderate and > mild law as the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. > > In state after state, the Catholic Church is the center of the anti-research > movement. > > In Missouri, the church passed out lawn signs opposing Amendment 2 (which > said Missouri should not be denied any federally-approved medical research), > and let churches be offices for groups which passed out plastic fetuses to > children at county fairs, saying this is what embryonic stem cell research > is all about. > > In California, Catholic churches distributed glossy full-color fliers > opposing the science supported by Proposition 71-and every California church > receives anti-embryonic research materials routinely, for the priests to > intone from the pulpit, and for parishioners to take home with them. > > In Michigan, the Church mailed 504,000 anti-research CDs (think of the > money-a church which takes a vow of poverty somehow can afford to burn half > a million CDs and postage and padded envelopes for one state mailing alone) > to the homes of Catholic families. > > In Texas, meetings of the legislature are held late at night with little or > no public notice-so the Catholic anti-science view can be drummed into the > heads of legislators without opposition. > > And now, with the experimental "success" of an alternative stem cell > technique, their campaign moves into high gear. > > Led by the Catholic Church, anti-research forces will try to use the > experimental skin cell technique (Induced Pluripotent Stem cells, or IPSc) > to shut down embryonic and SCNT research. > > Do I exaggerate? > > To see the actual open letter from the New York State Catholic Conference > revealing the Church's intent to control stem cell policy and read the rest > of this article, please go to www.stemcellbattles.com > Don C. Reed > > Rayilyn Brown > Board Member AZNPF > Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's Foundation > [log in to unmask] > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------- This mail sent through http://www.ukonline.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn