A brave new world, indeed
What a week for bioethics. Not only has Bush's indecision on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research led to a pundit frenzy, but word that scientists had created embryonic stem cells purely for research purposes from donated human sperm and eggs set off another flurry of commentary. And then there was news that yet another biotechnology company is also creating embryos explicitly for research—only instead of using volunteers, they're using cloning technology. And it wasn't all stem-cell issues, either. The Bush administration drafted a policy allowing states to include unborn children in medical coverage. And a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision barring a man from procreating until he can prove that he can support his children sets a precedent that damages several prochoice arguments. Add to that recent polls suggesting that support for legal abortion is at its lowest point in six years, reports that clinics can now choose the sex of a child with a 92 percent accuracy (if you want a girl; for boys, the accuracy rate is 72 percent), news that Australian researchers fertilized mice eggs without sperm, and continued discoveries regarding the human genome. Is anyone else's head spinning?
The big debate, of course, is still embryonic stem-cell research. (Voted in our poll yet?) And despite all the breakthroughs in biotechnology, the fundamental question is still the same: when does human life begin? As noted in just about every major news publication, several key prolife politicians are saying it's possible to be antiabortion and support embryonic stem cell research. Lots of folks have commented on this argument, but rather than summarize, Weblog would rather simply point to the best analysis: that of Slate's William Saletan.
If Bush accepts the arguments of Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon, and former Sen. Connie Mack of Florida that it's possible to be both prolife and pro-stem-cells (Saletan calls them "pro-pros"), "he'll be what they are: functionally pro-choice." In a brilliant deconstruction of the pro-pros argument—for which he largely depends on Hatch's letter to President Bush and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson (which is not online yet)—Saletan argues that it all sounds awfully familiar. The pro-pros want us to believe that personhood is situational, it's OK to dismember an embryo if it's unwanted, embryo dismemberment should be safe and legal, embryo dismemberment is prolife and profamily because it prolongs lives and helps families, and embryo dismemberment is the parents' choice. Most telling is the conclusion of Hatch's letter: "It is significant to point out that no member of the United States Supreme Court has ever taken the position that fetuses, let alone embryos, are constitutionally protected persons. To do so would be to thrust the courts and other governmental institutions into the midst of some of the most private of personal decisions." As Saletan notes, "It's hard to imagine how anyone who wrote those words could truly believe in an unborn child's right to life." No kidding. Let's hope that actual prolife voices will point out the fallacies of the pro-pros argument on the Hill, in the White House, and in the shaping of publicopinion.
Couple wins religious freedom case | Federal judge says officials unconstitutionally limited the number of people who could attend prayer meetings at their home. (Associated Press)
China's French connection | China's Communist leaders have finally found a Western human rights model they like: France's new anti-cult law making "mental manipulation" a crime. (Joseph A. Bosco, The Washington Post)
Sin squad on patrol in Malaysia | Making busts in bars, bedrooms, the nation's religious cops aim to preserve Islamic values. (Los Angeles Times)
Faith-based initiative:
The dwindling 'armies of compassion' | President Bush's faith-based initiative is in deep trouble because it lacks a constituency committed to its success, and because every move the administration makes to appease the idea's opponents weakens support from likely allies. (E.J. Dionne Jr., The Washington Post)
Bad faith | That the president's strongest ally is suddenly disillusioned with the faith-based plan is a good indication of just how dismal its prospects are and just how broad the disaffection is among black clergy. (The American Prospect)
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Conflict resolution starts on faith-based plan | Search for Common Ground is more used to working in Rwanda and Macedonia than navigating Washington party politics (The Washington Post)
Court flunks tolerance test | It is not the place for state pols or courts to tell the church which policies are kosher (Debra Saunders, San Francisco Chronicle)
Greek Orthodox reject Israel's advice | Government accused of meddling after one-third of the candidates for the church's next top clergyman in the Holy Land are "disqualified" (Associated Press)
Ten Commandments' sponsor finds demons chasing him | Rep. Gary Condit is a strong pro-life, family values, Bible-quoting son of a Baptist minister who is rated highly by the Christian Coalition and flunks out with the ACLU (Robert Scheer, syndicated columnist)
Idaho's Christian Coalition ends its operations | Organization's demise marks the second major religion-based political action group to fold in the past year. (Associated Press/Idaho Statesman)
Coalition wants marriage amendment | Backers say declaration would prevent judges from setting family policies that lack public support (Associated Press)
Father owing child support loses a right to procreate | Wisconsin Supreme Court upholds probation order that bars a man from having more children unless he shows that he can support all his offspring (The New York Times)
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Missions and ministry:
Chasing Bible balloons in North Korea | Voice of the Martyrs sometimes sends as many as 50,000 helium-filled orange vinyl bags imprinted with the Gospel of Mark (UPI)
One last song | Whatever can the folks at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence have been thinking to forbid singing "Danny Boy" at Irish funerals? (The Denver Post)
Prayers reveal churches' values | The words you use to communicate with God depends on which church you belong to, new research shows. (The Advertiser, Adelaide, Australia)
African bishops consider condom use | A proposal by the AIDS office of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference seeks to allow the use of condoms as part of a wider program to stop the spread of HIV (Associated Press)
Media:
When Jesus saves, his followers like to spend | Gifts, apparel, software and other products make up about $1.5 billion of the $4 billion Christian retail industry (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Christian books selling hot | Industry experts at the CBA convention said Christian authors are writing more compelling books - fiction and nonfiction - about more relevant topics (Associated Press)
Also: A BBC appointment that beggars belief | Anticipating trouble, Bookbinder's bosses said his remit would extend beyond religion to "ethics". This is like telling the head of sport that his job will extend to cricket. (Simon Jenkins, The Times, London)
Expert says ex-Klansman is faking | But defense expert says Cherry is suffering from a form of dementia and can't stand trial for 1963 church bombing (Associated Press)
Church youth leader pleads guilty to molestations | Faith has been sorely tested in Middleton, Massachusetts, since St. Agnes Church's Christopher Reardon was accused in the state's largest child-molestation case. (Associated Press)
Also: Anglicans' Waterloo | Long before it became enmeshed in more than 1,000 lawsuits by natives over allegations of sexual, emotional, physical and cultural abuse at residential schools, the Anglican Church of Canada was deeply in the red thanks to a combination of its own management techniques (Editorial, National Post, Canada)
Oldest Christian find in Norway | New discovery hints that Christianity may have had a foothold in Norway centuries earlier than previously thought (Aftenposten, Oslo)
Also: A Severe Salvation | How the Vikings took up the Christian faith (Christian History, issue 63)
What it means to be 'born again' | For some,the change hit like a lightning bolt; for others, it came quietly and gradually. Readers share their stories. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
While we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.
We’ve got little information on Jesus’ appearance and personality. But that’s the way God designed it.españolFrançais
NIL deals in college athletics present new challenges—and opportunities—for colleges and students.
