Bryan Fischer
January 12, 2007
On stem cells and legislating morality
By Bryan Fischer

The House of Representatives, as expected, last Thursday passed a bill that will expand federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research (ESCR). ESCR is morally objectionable because it requires the destruction of human life. In addition, ESCR has never been used to treat a single disease, not one, while ethically benign adult stem cell research is already being used in over 70 therapeutic applications.

The good news is that although HR3 passed with 59 percent of the vote (253-174), the total was 32 votes short of the two-thirds necessary to override a promised presidential veto. President Bush yesterday renewed his express intention to veto this bill if it reaches his desk, saying, "Destroying nascent human life for research raises serious ethical problems, and millions of Americans consider the practice immoral."

Further good news can be found in the fact 174 Congressmen, including 16 Democrats, voted against this bill.

Also worthy of note is that the bill picked up just 15 votes from the last time it was voted on by a previous Congress, despite Democrat gains of 30 seats at the polls in November.

(It is a little known and unfortunate fact that, over the past six years, more than $130 million in taxpayer funds — including $39 million last year — has already been spent on embryonic stem cell research.)

Perhaps the most noteworthy and revealing comment on the whole affair came from an ESCR supporter. Remember that all we ever hear from the left is that "you can't legislate morality." Evidently Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) didn't get the memo, because he blatantly declared, with regard to ESCR, "It's a sin not to do this research."

Apparently oblivious to the liberal stricture against legislating moral convictions, Rep. Green says he supports HR3 precisely because he believes it is the morally correct thing to do.

In other words, he's not at all against legislating morality — as long as it's his morality and not yours and mine.

The truth is that not only can we legislate morality, we must legislate morality. In truth, morality is the only thing we can or should legislate. Everyone, right or left, who argues for a particular piece of legislation does so on the grounds that it is the right, just, fair, and compassionate thing to do. What else is that but legislating morality?

So the question is not whether we will legislate morality; that's a given, and both sides must admit that if they are being honest. The only question is whether we will legislate the morality of secular progressives, to use Bill O'Reilly's terms, or the morality of traditionalists; that is, whether we will legislate the morality of the world or of the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Bottom line, the real question is this: whose morality we are going to legislate — the morality of man or the morality of God?

© Bryan Fischer

 

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(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)

 

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