Talking to death

Now that we have an administration prepared to expand embryonic stem cell research, we can’t afford to not know all the ways the destruction of human life will actually be approved. Even by an ususpecting public.

Language continues to morph into some Orwellian newspeak, and the media are using it to market eugenics.

In sum, at least six human embryos were made and then thrown away because they failed a test. We now call such tests “preconception.” This is the next step in our gradual devaluation of embryos. First, we said IVF embryos weren’t pregnancies. That’s technically correct: Pregnancy begins when the embryo implants in the womb. Then we called early embryos “pre-embryos” so we could dismantle them to get stem cells. That was technically incorrect, but we did it because it made us feel better. Now we’re adjusting the word conception. Henceforth, testing of IVF embryos to decide which will live or die is preconception.

Who’s questioning this? At least a few voices in the UK.

Michaela Aston, from the Life charity, added: “Life celebrates all new life and welcomes this child into the world.

“However, we are greatly concerned for the loss of those embryos discarded as not being considered worthy of life.

“The big question is: Where is this going to stop?

We need to remember that we are more than the sum of our genes.”

As the piece notes, doctors in the US have been experimenting on these embryos for years.

My question is: why aren’t we reading more about this development in the American media?

You can safely bet that research on embryos will once again be headline news in the US soon. Let’s hope that writers dig deep into the moral and theological questions that accompany this topic, as well as focusing on the often heartrending and authentic problems faced by individuals, couples and families.

Count on it from the ‘alternative media’.