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Ok this is what I don’t understand. It seems that a sizable majority on the socially conservative right are against using unused embryos for stem cell research. There reasoning is that they believe that it is wrong to destroy human life in the name of science. That is a perfectly valid stance for someone who is staunchly pro-life. This is what I don’t understand though: I you are against using unused embryos for research purposes, then how can you be for In-vitro fertilization?
I know of few couples who are staunchly pro-life, but have undergone In-vitro fertilization because of difficulties conceiving children. At this point I think it would probably be helpful to provide an overview of In-vitro fertilization:
1. Giving special medication to the woman that results in the development, growth, and maturation of eggs in a woman's ovaries.
2. Extracting perhaps 24 mature ova (aka oocytes) from the woman's ovaries.
3. Fertilizing the ova with sperm, typically from her husband or an anonymous donor.
4. Placing the embryos in a special incubator which encourages their growth.
5. Selecting two to four healthy-looking embryos and implanting them in the woman's uterus.
6. Disposing of the remaining 20 or so surplus embryos in some manner.
Now about 50% of those unused embryos are typically frozen in the event of a miscarriage. Of course a significant number of those embryos either die while being frozen or while being thawed.
The other 50% or so are discarded in some way. Some embryos are simply flushed down a sink drain while alive. Some are transferred to a medical waste bin where they are later incinerated, while alive. Some simply expose the embryos to the air and let them die naturally; this normally takes up to four days. Still other embryos are donated for research and experimentation, for personnel training, or for diagnostic purposes.
So why is President Bush who cares so much about the sanctity of life not pushing for a ban on In-Vitro fertilization? Why do all these Pro-Life right wingers who care so much about the sanctity of life not adopting when they cannot conceive instead of creating so much life to just be thrown away? It seems to me that when one looks at the huge number of Embryos who are “murdered” every year as a result of In-Vitro Fertilization that the moral religious right would be pushing for a constitutional amendment to ban In-Vitro Fertilization before they worried about Gay Marriage or The Ten Commandments in courthouses. It just seems awfully hypocritical of those “true Americans” on the right to turn a blind eye to the evils of In-Vitro Fertilization.
I know of few couples who are staunchly pro-life, but have undergone In-vitro fertilization because of difficulties conceiving children. At this point I think it would probably be helpful to provide an overview of In-vitro fertilization:
1. Giving special medication to the woman that results in the development, growth, and maturation of eggs in a woman's ovaries.
2. Extracting perhaps 24 mature ova (aka oocytes) from the woman's ovaries.
3. Fertilizing the ova with sperm, typically from her husband or an anonymous donor.
4. Placing the embryos in a special incubator which encourages their growth.
5. Selecting two to four healthy-looking embryos and implanting them in the woman's uterus.
6. Disposing of the remaining 20 or so surplus embryos in some manner.
Now about 50% of those unused embryos are typically frozen in the event of a miscarriage. Of course a significant number of those embryos either die while being frozen or while being thawed.
The other 50% or so are discarded in some way. Some embryos are simply flushed down a sink drain while alive. Some are transferred to a medical waste bin where they are later incinerated, while alive. Some simply expose the embryos to the air and let them die naturally; this normally takes up to four days. Still other embryos are donated for research and experimentation, for personnel training, or for diagnostic purposes.
So why is President Bush who cares so much about the sanctity of life not pushing for a ban on In-Vitro fertilization? Why do all these Pro-Life right wingers who care so much about the sanctity of life not adopting when they cannot conceive instead of creating so much life to just be thrown away? It seems to me that when one looks at the huge number of Embryos who are “murdered” every year as a result of In-Vitro Fertilization that the moral religious right would be pushing for a constitutional amendment to ban In-Vitro Fertilization before they worried about Gay Marriage or The Ten Commandments in courthouses. It just seems awfully hypocritical of those “true Americans” on the right to turn a blind eye to the evils of In-Vitro Fertilization.
