Now, this is what I call a grassroots effort! Last night our little Gospel of Life committee had a stuffing party for the mailing we are sending to all of the families in our parish about Amendment 2. It went by surprisingly fast, too. We had roughly 1,200 letters to send and they were signed, stuffed, and sealed in almost exactly two hours! Of course it helped that I brought them in and had them all folded by machine earlier in the day!
I have included the text of the letter we sent (feel free to copy and distribute):
Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On November 7, the people of Missouri will be asked to vote on an amendment that may change, repeal, or modify at least 45 provisions of the Constitution of Missouri to make the creation of human beings for scientific research a constitutional right in the state.
Amendment 2 says that “no person may clone or attempt to clone a human being” but it only prevents the implantation or attempted implantation of a cloned human into a uterus. It specifically allows scientists to conduct research on human embryos created by “in vitro fertilization” and “somatic cell nuclear transfer,” or cloning (amendment language 2(1), 6(5)). Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer, or SCNT, is specifically defined as cloning in the scientific world, yet it is specifically permitted under this constitutional amendment.
One of the slogans for the opponents of Amendment 2 is “Life is a gift from God, not the biotechnology industry.” That truth is part of the teaching of Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life).
“The use of human embryos or fetuses as an object of experimentation constitutes a crime against their dignity as human beings who have a right to the same respect owed to a child once born, just as every other person… the killing of innocent human creatures, even if carried out to help others constitutes and absolutely unacceptable act,” (63).
The fact is that embryonic stem cell research is not even necessary. Adult stem cells – including stem cells from umbilical cord blood, placenta and bone marrow – have effectively treated dozens of human illnesses and disabilities such as spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, and several forms of Leukemia. This research has also made Michigan a world leader in biotechnology, despite the state’s ban on human cloning.
For over thirty years we have lived in a society that supports the destruction of innocent human life. Now we are facing a new threat to the Gospel of Life and we must respond to it accordingly. Please join us in proclaiming the Gospel of Life by voting “NO” on Amendment 2.
“To defend and promote life, to show reverence and love for it, is a task which God entrusts to every man,” (42).
Yours most sincerely in Christ,