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Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Blasted for Support of Embryonic Stem Cell Research

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 29, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - "It is ludicrous." That was the reaction of Douglas R. Scott, Jr., president of Life Decisions International (LDI), to a statement by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (L&LS) in defense of its support for embryonic stem cell experimentation.

LDI, which publishes a list of corporations that fund the abortion-committing group Planned Parenthood, recently updated the "Dishonorable Mention" section of The Boycott List. The section identifies nonprofit organizations that "are linked to Planned Parenthood and/or its agenda." Like Planned Parenthood, L&LS actively supports embryonic stem cell experimentation.

"Planned Parenthood supports such experimentation because it seeks to promote its cause and justify its actions by further devaluing human life. Other groups may do so for what may be more altruistic reasons, the end result is the same," Scott said.

"This is a complex and emotional subject, and I think it therefore requires that we carefully analyze the facts," wrote Doug Lubbers of L&LS in a statement to a pro-life activist who wrote in opposition to the charity's support of embryonic stem cell experimentation. "But everything following that sentence is an attempt to evade the facts," Scott said.

"I believe that your information derives from the fact that L&LS, along with the Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network and 520 other patient advocacy groups were co-signers to a letter to the House and the Senate, dated January 10, 2007, supporting the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act." Lubbers wrote.

"This is an attempt to justify the signing of the letter," Scott responded. "It is like saying, 'Yes, we signed the letter, but so did Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network and 520 other groups.' Fair enough. The hospital and other groups are responsible for their having signed, just as L&LS is responsible for adding its name to the letter."

"Although the Congress passed that legislation, it was vetoed by the President in June," Lubbers wrote. "Therefore, this law has not been implemented. We are left with the intellectual exercise of why 522 organizations decided to co-sign such a letter."

"'Intellectual exercise'? 'Now moot'? Hogwash," Scott said. "The fact is that L&LS wanted the legislation to pass. L&LS opposed the veto. It is simply providence that President George W. Bush was in office at this moment in time and he chose to veto the measure. Had another person been president, or had there been enough votes in Congress to override the veto, the bill could have become law. L&LS is attempting to excuse its actions by saying, 'Well, we failed to get what we wanted, so let's pretend we had no role in trying to make it happen.'" Scott compared the statement to a child who had been caught throwing rocks from an overpass in an attempt to hit cars on the freeway. "'Well, at least I missed all the cars,' the child could say. That is true, but had the effort been 'successful,' someone would have been killed," Scott said.

"Although I do not have any appreciation for the detail of the proposed legislation," Lubbers continued, "I think it safe to say that there may have been many different reasons by these organizations, all of which are now moot."

Scott responded by saying that organizations did not have "many different reasons" for supporting the legislation. "There was only one reason for supporting it. They wanted to expand embryonic stem cell experimentation and they wanted federal taxpayer dollars to fund it." He also said the subject is not "now moot" because "efforts to pass the same kind of bill will continue." Scott said that if L&LS had no intention of being part of these future efforts, Lubbers would surely have said so. Moreover, L&LS should have publicly withdrawn its name from the list of those endorsing the legislation. (The letter mentioned by Lubbers is even available through the L&LS website.)

Lubbers closed his statement with these words: "Let me clearly state that the Society does not 'support the destruction of innocent life'. Nothing is farther from being true, as evidenced by the Society's policy - 'The Society opposes the fertilization of human eggs for the purpose of research'."

"All this proves is that L&LS opposes the fertilization of human eggs for the express purpose of conducting experiments on them," Scott said. "But if the embryos were created without that specific purpose in mind, it is okay to do whatever you want to them. We trust Mr. Lubbers would be outraged if he were to hear someone say, 'Sure, but the Jews are already dead. It's okay to make lampshades out of their skin so long as we didn't kill the Jews for the express purpose of making the lampshades.'"

"Mr. Lubbers' response is intellectually shallow and utterly ridiculous," Scott said. "We urge L&LS to end its support of embryonic stem cell research."

For the names of other US organizations that support embryonic experimentation, please visit LDI's website: http://www.fightpp.org/show.cfm?page=stem_cell

Contact: Mr. Dwayne Howell, President & CEO, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 1311 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, NY 10605; Phone: 800-955-4572 or (914) 949-6691.

See LifeSiteNews.com's list of Canadian Charities that support embryonic stem cell research:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/sep/060918a.html

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