Politics
Wednesday October 20, 2004
Governor Schwarzenegger Supports Massive Grant for California Human Cloning Research
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
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
ph
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase out Lab Rats
- Ohio Supreme Court Allows Planned Parenthood to Conceal Abortion Records in Sexual Abuse Case
- LifeSiteNews Canada Day and Independence Day Message. Taking a few days off. LSN returns Monday July 6
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Pro-Life Groups Announce New Colorado Personhood Initiative
- Judge Puts Kibosh on DC Gay "Marriage" Referendum
- Al Franken Win Hands Supermajority to Senate Democrats
- Group Funded by Canadian Bishops' D&P Joins with Others to Denounce the "Natural Family" and "Family Rights"
- Financially Troubled Planned Parenthood of El Paso Closes Doors
- Abortion Linked to Subsequent Pre-Term Births, New Research Again Confirms
- New Orleans Homosexual Couple Ask Fed. Court to Overturn Marriage Amendment
- Slim Hope Of New Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Leader Promoting Pro-Life, Pro-Family Issues
- Pope Accepts Resignation of Bishop Caught Involved in Homosexual Encounters
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Northern Ireland Politician Cleared of Wrongdoing after Reiterating Christian Teaching on Homosexual Acts
- UK Conservative Leader Speaks at Gay Pride Fundraiser
- More Letters to the Editor on Canadian Catholic Development and Peace Scandal (July 1)
- Letters to the Editor - Readers Respond to Development and Peace Scandal
- Watch This Dramatic New Video on Catholic Bishops Conference Funding of Pro-Abortion Groups
Most Read this Week
- Homosexual Duke U. Director Charged with Offering Adopted 5-Year-Old for Sex
- Famed Fr. Corapi Calls Canadian Bishops' Dissent from Humanae Vitae "Catastrophic"
- Pope: It is a Childish Faith to Oppose the Church Teaching on Life and Family
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- LifeSiteNews Detailed Response to Canadian Bishops' Whitewash Report on Development and Peace
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase Out Lab Rats
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Is Pro-Choice the New Pro-Life?
- Swedish Parents Won't Tell if Child is Boy or Girl as Gender Experiment
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.