President Obama signed an order lifting restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research today, "a move he said rejects the "false choice" between science and morality" according to FoxNews.com (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/09/obama-lift-restrictions-stem-cell-research-funding/).
As a pro-life woman who believes in Christian morality as taught by biblical Christian tradition, I can't help up be disturbed by this most recent presidential action. The president alludes that "science" and "morality" are seperate and that "science" is the better of the two (and therefore the one to be chosen) when they are in conflict. This is not necessarily logical, especially when considering the fact that all stem cell research benefits that have have been discovered to date are from adult stem cells (in which no embryos are needed, and therefore none are created or destroyed).
I am not the only one dissapointed by Pres. Obama's most recent order, with House Minority Leader John Boehner issuing a written notice immediately after the signing, accusing Obama of contradicting his pledge to be "president for all Americans."
"The president has rolled back important protections for innocent life, further dividing our nation at a time when we need greater unity to tackle the challenges before us," Boehner said, adding that he fully supports research on non-embryonic stem cells (which, as mentioned, have been the only ones to result in medical benefits and treatments to date).
"Non-embryonic stem cell research is not only showing great promise in the laboratory, but its applications are already being used to treat scores of diseases and medical conditions. Indeed, science and respect for human life can coexist," he said. "Politicians in Washington would be well-served to recognize this fact before they ask taxpayers to subsidize the destruction of innocent human life simply to advance a particular agenda."
I observed that "Embryonic Stem Cell Research" and Obama's support thereof is listed on the White House's website Presidential Agenda section under the headline of Women's Issues (http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/women/). As a woman, I find this incredibly offensive, not to mention limiting of the importance of the issue at hand. It should be recognized that embryonic stem cell research is not a "woman's issue" - it is a human life issue. This issue is not simply survival of the fittest (destroying the smallest forms of human life in an attempt to discover ways to enhance more mature (aka born) human life), but rather how human life, even in it's most fragile and delicate stages, should be protected and not abused and destroyed in the name of "science."
Amen!
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