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Governor Schwarzenegger Supports Massive Grant for California Human Cloning Research

SACRAMENTO, October 20, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California, former movie star and one who claims to be a devout Catholic, has announced his support for California's Proposition 71, the Embryo Cloning and Stem-Cell Research Bond Act. The act would allocate $3 billion for unethical stem cell research that would allow the creation of cloned human beings for experimental research.

Schwarzenegger, in supporting the Proposition, is acting against strongly emphasized Catholic teaching on the stem cell research and against Republican Party policies that focus on ethical and far more productive adult stem cell research. Proposition 71 would also make freedom to conduct all stem-cell research a constitutional right for scientists.

Dr. Dianne Irving PhD, has commented on much of the world's current and pending legislation regarding cloning and says the language used in Proposition 71 is deceptive in it definitions. Irving told LifeSiteNews.com, "By using the phrase 'stem cell research' Proposition 71 includes not just stem cells from IVF human embryos, but also includes stem cells from cloned human embryos. Such scientifically deceptive language should also be removed from consideration in any bill that is later attempted."

Irving has said that such language has become standard in legislation that purports to prohibit cloning all over the world.

The debate over stem cells is often couched in terms of support for science vs. religious extremism. However, a California theologian pointed out October 13th at Santa Clara University, that the objections to creating cloned human embryos for research are not based on religion but on natural law ethics.

Rev. Gerald D. Coleman has said that opposition to embryonic stem cell research is not a faith-based belief and does not stem from "a dispute between reason versus ignorance." He said, "If you put that embryo into a woman, you're going to have a baby in nine months' time. What else are you going to call it, a tree?"

"In other words, common scientific understanding is that the embryo is human life," the priest said. "While faith and religion might endorse this point, they do not create it."

Schwarzenegger's initial objections to the proposition had nothing to do with bioethics however and he has said that because the funding will not have to be repaid for five years, he has given it his support. Opponents, however, have pointed out that there are no guarantees for cures and a $3 billion dollar bill is a debt the cash-strapped state of California can ill-afford.

CNS news "Stem-cell dispute not 'reason versus ignorance,' theologian says":
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0405767.htm

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