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Guest
Contributor
Anne Downey
Anne Downey
practices law with her husband in New York. Anne is a member
of the Christian Legal Society, an Alliance Defense Fund "ally," and
is volunteering her writing talent to Chrisitian Women for
America's Legal Studies Department.
 The Dark
Side of the Force: Embryonic Stem-Cell Research
Unlike research efforts involving
adult stems, it requires the destruction of human life...
[Anne
Downey] 6/2/05
Occasionally
Hollywood, despite its many flaws, hits a nerve, whether intentionally
or unintentionally. This past weekend, when my family and I
attended the new Star Wars movie, Star Wars III: Revenge
of the Sith, the story’s relevance to current events in
America struck me.
Without revealing
too much of the plot, let me say that the movie depicts the
transformation of Anikin Skywalker, a young Jedi knight, into
the evil Darth Vader. We learn that Anikin turns to the Dark
Side of the Force because of a desperate desire to save the
life of a loved one, no matter the cost. But of course, once
Anikin embraces the Dark Side, the price is death and destruction
for many.
It struck
me that this tragic tale is analogous to our nation’s growing
embrace of embryonic stem-cell research. Embryonic stem-cell
research, unlike research efforts involving adult stems, requires
the destruction of human life. When scientists extract stem
cells from a five-day-old human embryo, the embryo dies.
Advocates
of embryonic stem-cell research seek to persuade us that such
research must be explored in order to treat horrible illnesses
and conditions and to save lives. Like Anikin, we feel the
tugging on our heartstrings. We consider the very difficult
lives led by ill or disabled individuals who long for a cure.
We want the Christopher Reeves of the world to walk. We want
the Lou Gehrigs of the world to be set free from their slow
and painful deaths. We listen to the promises and claims, and
the siren song begins to sound almost sweet to our ears.
But as surely
as Anikin’s pact with evil resulted in death and destruction,
so our nation’s slide down the path of embryonic stem-cell
research will bring about dire results. The death toll will
mount, the promised cures may not be realized, and unknown
consequences may be launched.
Like an ancient
society, we stand at the edge of the cliff, ready to hurl our
young sacrificial victims over the edge, all for the “good
of society.” The drums are beating and the chant is reverberating
in a rising crescendo.
But a nation
that sacrifices its young should not regard itself as a great
nation. Mother Teresa once said: “It is a poverty to decide
that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.” While
she made that comment in the context of abortion, it applies
equally to the destruction of the young through embryonic stem-cell
research.
Mother Teresa
also said: “If we remember that God loves us, and that we can
love others as He loves us, then America can become a sign
of peace for the world. From here, a sign of care for the weakest
of the weak - the unborn child - must go out to the world.
If you become a burning light of justice and peace in the world,
then really you will be true to what the founders of this country
stood for.”
We would
do well to listen to Mother Teresa’s words of wisdom. We must
stand steadfastly for the sanctity of life and turn our backs
on the siren song of the Dark Side. tOR
copyright
2005 Concerned Women for America
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