Politics
Tuesday May 27, 2008
Brazilian Supreme Court May Approve Constitutionality of Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Pro-Lifers Asked to Email Justices to Urge them to Vote to Protect the Rights of the Unborn
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman
BRASILIA, May 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Brazilian Supreme Court is scheduled to begin voting again on the constitutionality of a law allowing embryonic stem cell research.
The vote, which commenced on March 5th of this year, was delayed when Justice Carlos Alberto Menezes Direito made a motion for a "vista", which allows a review of the facts before a vote is cast. Menezes Direito is believed to be pro-life.
Despite the deadly nature of embryonic stem cell research, which destroys human life at its earliest stage, most of the justices are believed to be inclined to allow it. On March 5th the vote stood at 2-0 in favor of the law.
However, the Constitution of Brazil states that "All are equal before the law, without any distinction whatsoever, guaranteeing Brazilians and alien residents in the country the inviolable right to life, liberty, equality, security and priority."
Despite seemingly difficult odds, Brazilian pro-life organizations are making a serious effort to persuade the justices to strike down the law and protect the unborn. It is feared that if the law is upheld, abortion may ultimately be ruled "constitutional" based on the precedent.
The Catholic news agency ACI Prensa reports that 200 federal deputies (representatives) and 20 senators have signed a petition to the court contending that the basis for the vote given by one of the justices is false. Justice Carlos Ayres Britto justified his vote based on the notion that embryos frozen for more than three years are not viable. However, there is no known limit to the viability of frozen embryos.
Brazilian and Hispanic pro-life organizations have issued a call to pro-lifers to contact the justices and urge them to vote in favor of human life. Emails may be written in English or Portuguese (knowledge of English is common among educated Latin Americans).
Email Addresses of the Justices of the Brazilian Supreme Court (can be copied and pasted into email "To" box:
, vice,
, ,
, ,
, ,
, ,
, ,
,
Individual Email Addresses:
MINISTER GILMAR MENDES
MINISTER CEZAR PELUSO
vice
MINISTER MARCO AURÉLIO
MINISTER JOAQUIM BARBOSA
MINISTER EROS GRAU
MINISTER CARLOS BRITTO
MINISTER RICARDO LEWANDOWSKI
MINISTER CELSO DE MELLO
MINISTER MENEZES DIREITO
(assistant)
MINISTER CÁRMEN LÚCIA
MINISTER ELLEN GRACIE
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
- LifeSiteNews Detailed Response to Canadian Bishops' Whitewash Report on Development and Peace
- Is Pro-Choice the New Pro-Life?
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase Out Lab Rats
- 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.