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Not that simple
Dear Editor,
I know Andrea Sis' paper was meant as a showcase, but I have a few comments. First of all, the embryos resulting from abortion have never been and probably will never be used in stem cell research.
This is merely a ploy used by anti-abortion activists on moral crusades.
Scientists are merely suggesting using the extra embryos left over from couples' in-vitro fertilization attempts instead of disposing of them.
Why not use the "tens of thousands of orphan embryos sitting in nitrogen ... never to be used by anyone" to help scientists with stem cell research?
It's not a question of morality. It's a matter of doing all we can to help people with debilitating diseases. If these embryos are not going to be used anyway, why not use them to help save lives?
I find Sis' comment "I feel that if God does not want a couple to be fertile, then it is his will" to be ludicrous. If everything is "God's will," why not let cancer victims suffer without science intervening to find a cure?
Or, let AIDS victims die at an early age without scientists helping relieve their symptoms?
After all, it's "God's will." Her statement is also insensitive to the millions of couples trying to conceive each year, using all options available.
Maybe when Sis graduates from college and enters the real world, she will see that issues aren't simply black and white, and maybe she won't be as quick to make broad, sweeping statements about the morality of people she knows nothing about.
Sincerely,
Annie M. Warren,
McCook