Human Embryos

By Richard Land - May 23, 2005 - comment

The U.S. House of Representatives will vote tomorrow, Tuesday, May 24, on H.R. 810, a bill to fund stem cell research that kills human embryos.

H.R. 810, sponsored by Reps. Michael Castle (R-De.) and Diana DeGette (D-Co.), would overturn the policy adopted by President Bush in 2001 that bars federal funding of research that would require killing human embryos.

The promoters of H.R. 810 argue that the bill will allow funding on research using human embryos, created by in vitro fertilization, who will “be discarded anyway.” However, these embryos do not need to be killed—they can be adopted or donated to other couples, and many are. There is no doubt that this is a bad bill, but what is even more troubling is that it is actually the first step toward the cloning of human embryos for stem cell research. After all, it is an easy next step from destroying embryos that are to be “discarded” to making clones of them that will also be destroyed.

If you agree that the government should not fund research that requires the killing of humans in their earliest stages of life, I hope you will call your congressman immediately to express your opposition to H.R. 810.

Just tell your congressman that you do not support the federal funding of research that destroys human embryos and that you want him or her to vote against H.R. 810.

You can call your congressman by dialing the Capitol switchboard at 202/225-3121. Just tell the operator which Congressional office you would like to call, and you will be connected.

Thank you for giving some of your valuable time to this crucial battle to save defenseless human beings from destruction. May God bless you.

Further Learning

Learn more about: Life, Stem-Cell Research, Citizenship, National

Post a Comment




Notify me of follow-up comments?

Before You Submit Your Comment (below), Read This:

Thank you for your interest in the ministry of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (SBC).

Comments are moderated to preserve the family-oriented nature of this website and in an attempt to avoid comment spam. We welcome opposing viewpoints, and we will not turn comments away as long as your views are presented with respect to everyone.

Your comments will not appear immediately and are subject to editing or deletion. We will make every attempt to check new comments in a timely manner, though there will likely be delays on the weekends and around holidays.

Please follow the these guidelines to insure your comments will be posted:

  1. Use a real name, at least a real first name. We find folks are less-rude online when not hiding behind a screen-name.
  2. Name-calling and vulgar-language will not be tolerated. Zero-tolerance is our policy. We will not spend time editing profanity. If it contains foul language, your post will be deleted. Oh, and we decide what is and what is not vulgar.
  3. Comments must be on topic. General comments (compliments, complaints, and otherwise) are best delivered here or expressed on your own personal Web site.
  4. And please, do not type in ALL CAPS. It looks like you're screaming at people.

Additionally, within Baptist polity, please recognize that many issues and decisions are addressed at a local church level. SBC denominational (national) offices have no control and desire no control over the activities of a local church. This entity is not responsible for overseeing and insuring the ethical behavior of Southern Baptist pastors or church members. If your concern involves a legal civil or criminal matter, we suggest you contact the proper local officials.

Issues involving pastoral staff or other church members, local Baptist associations or state Baptist conventions are local issues. Therefore the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission cannot and should not address such issues. While we regret we are unable to assist you, we encourage you to seek a biblical resolution of the issue at the local church level. If your question or submission pertains to a matter covered in this text, it is likely we will not acknowledge your submission.

Other than that, we welcome you and hope to see thoughtful discussions at ERLC.com