Among the other items on the ballot this year in my home state of Michigan is a referendum to amend the state constitution to allow embryonic stem cell research. Until I found out that the measure involved them I was ambivalent towards the issue. Now, I am completely opposed.
Human life begins at conception; there really can be no other reasonable conclusion. Therefore any human life at any stage of development must be treated as though it were fully human, with all the rights of any other man or woman. Anything less is to lack respect for human life. Period.
I know there are people out there who think they might benefit from such research. They are accident victims or born with a defect which hampers their ability to function normally. This is far more flippant than I mean it (because I also want to respect those people as people) but the fact is bad things happen to folks in this world. After a fashion, sometimes all we can do is accept that we simply have limited options as to our future and must deal with our conditions on that level. Violating another person's right to life does not rise up all boats. It lowers us to simple animal status, as the haves (in this case, those with born human lives) merely use the power they hold over the have-nots (those yet to be born) to get what they want.
When we become to view unborn humans in their embryonic state as unhuman, we make a grave error. We begin to treat others as a commodity to be used as those in power want. We forget that a human life can never be treated as a utility.
