Editorial

The secular media in Madison paid a lot of attention to the visit of actor Michael J. Fox to our city last week. He toured the UW-Madison's Waisman Center to see how it was using more than $1 million of his foundation's money for research on Parkinson's Disease.

Fox started his Foundation for Parkinson's Research after being diagnosed with the disease. The actor heard researchers talk about their work with human embryonic stem cells. Recently a UW researcher announced he had successfully grown human motor neurons from embryonic stem cells.

Prolifers protest. Also present outside the Waisman Center were members of Pro-Life Wisconsin. They were protesting the use of stem cells obtained from human embryos. They also objected to the use of more tax dollars in Wisconsin going toward this research.

The protesters told the local Catholic radio station, Relevant Radio (1240 AM), that they would pray for Michael J. Fox. They hope he will see the light and realize that human embryos should not be destroyed for this research.

Moral and ethical issues. We can sympathize with Michael J. Fox. He suffers from Parkinson's Disease and would like to find a cure. I personally have a family history of heart disease and diabetes. I, too, would like to see treatments and cures for these diseases.

Yet we must look at all the moral and ethical issues involved in medical research. We must make sure that ethical means are used to achieve our goals.

Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison - who has recently been elected chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Catholic Bioethics Center - has spoken clearly about the moral issues involved in stem cell research. In an interview on Relevant Radio, he made three points:

• Bishop Morlino emphasized that the Catholic Church is not opposed to all stem cell research. He noted that stem cells can be obtained from a variety of sources with no moral prohibitions: from fetuses involved in miscarriages, umbilical cords, bone marrow, and cadavers, to name a few.

• At present no diseases are treatable as a result of embryonic stem cell research, he said. But some diseases have been treated from use of adult stem cells. "Don't do evil for good," he stressed.

• Both you and I were once embryos, pointed out Bishop Morlino. "We have to admit our own humble embryonic origins. All of us were once tiny, humble embryos and we should not be at someone else's mercy. I hope and pray our culture will come to recognize this truth."

Catholic teaching is clear. The teaching of the Catholic Church is crystal clear. From the moment of conception, a human embryo is a person. And that human life must be protected.

"Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception," states the Catechism of the Catholic Church. "From the moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life." Scripture, too, reminds us: "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you" (Jer 1:5).

The Catechism also mentions the embryo: "Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being." The Catechism notes, "It is immoral to produce human embryos intended for exploitation as disposable biological material."

Like Michael J. Fox, we want to find treatments and cures for debilitating diseases. But we should do so with respect for all life. Many kinds of stem cells can be obtained and used ethically. Let us pray that Fox and researchers will see the light and treat human embryos with the respect they deserve.

Mary C. Uhler, editor

Mailbag

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Women discuss abortions

To the editor:

I would like to comment on the 30 women who have gone to the Supreme Court on the harm that abortion has caused them. I can't believe any parents would want this harm done to their daughters.

Recently at Canisius College, Hilary Clinton was a guest speaker speaking on healthcare and abortion. This is a Catholic college. St. Canisius, the saint, successfully reformed the university of Ingoldstadt and then went on to reform Vienna. During this saint's life parishes were without clergy, there had been no ordinations in 20 years, monasteries were deserted. In 1555 he published his famous catechism.

St. Canisius converted Protestants and encouraged Catholics by reclaiming those lapses in religion. He always distinguished between those who deliberately propagated heresy and those who had been brought up in or had drifted into it, whose errors came from ignorance rather than malice.

I ask St. Canisius to pray for our children, that they may not be led away from the truth. May women be strong and may God bless those who speak of the harm caused to them by abortion.

Laurie Favreau, Footville

Ring bells for peace

To the editor:

We would like to encourage Catholics to help promote peace through a happy and reassuring symbol of the church, the church bells. The bells have long been a symbol that communicates to the community the churches' presence and a calling to worship. It is a happy and reassuring sound, one that cannot be matched with words.

At a time when we all long for peace and still want to show support for our troops yet don't want to be divisive or get into a political debate on the value of the war, we think the bells could be a powerful tool, much better than rhetoric, in communicating the church's support for peace.

In that light, we are asking area churches to ring their bells on Sundays, at noon, for one minute, and during Lent to signify our support for peace. We greatly appreciate your support in leading other denominations to ring their "Bells for Peace."

Kathy Williams, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Monona,
and Dr. John Murphy, St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Madison

Thanks for support

To the people of the Diocese of Madison:

The District Council of Madison, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, is very grateful for your continuing generous support of Recycle the Warmth, along with our other charitable work in the Madison area community. Without this annual blanket drive, and the support of our Catholic community, we would not have enough to meet the requests we receive from those in need in our community.

We will use the dollars donated by individuals, businesses, and organizations to purchase new sheets, pillows, and other bedding-related items to supplement what we collected. All these items will then be given without cost to individuals and families requesting help with furniture and bedding.

Ralph Middlecamp, executive director,
District Council of Madison, Society of St. Vincent de Paul