Opinion: Embryonic stem cell research can't be justified

Some hold that President Bush should fund embryonic stem cell research because it may result in cures for some serious diseases. A "good," yes. But a greater good than what -- than respecting the inviolable dignity of the human embryo, the new member of the human species brought about at fertilization and destroyed in the process of cell extraction? It's not somebody's opinion that new human life begins at fertilization: It is a scientific fact. Given the proper environment, the human embryo will develop into a President Bush, a St. Petersburg Times editor or Pope John Paul II.

Some commentators think that the value of a human embryo is a lesser value that can be used (destroyed) for a greater good. Is the value of the human life something less at a few days than at a few months, than at a few years, than at a few decades? Can the human embryo rightly be used, destroyed, as a means to a good end? Does the end justify the means? Is it lawful to do evil that good may come of it?

Ironically, recent news stories show that adult stem cells -- drawn from bone marrow, blood, the placenta and skin and involving no destruction of a human embryo -- give strong promise of effecting cures for the same troublesome diseases as do embryonic stem cells. The president should liberally fund adult stem cell research. Funding embryonic stem cell research would be unethical and immoral.
-- Veronica Windishman, Seminole

A moral evil

No matter what President Bush decides in regard to federal funding of stem cell research on human embryos, privately funded researchers and those in other countries will press forward toward the irresistible goal of infinite cell lines. The Times advice for the president to accept the use of frozen human embryos seems to overlook the fact that scientists in Virginia have already demonstrated their willingness to create human embryonic life in the lab for the expressed purpose of research.

In the end, however, emotion and the utopian promise of longer disease-free lives will overpower any opposition from government, religion or reason. Those who object and argue for alternative strategies will be labeled as uncaring, uninformed, archaic and shortsighted in their outlook and will certainly suffer the slings and arrows of popular derision.

As one who does object to this kind of experimentation, it is my opinion that the practice of embryonic human stem cell research is humanity's one-way ticket to the dead-end emptiness of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, where people sell out their souls and where human life is treated as just so much plastic to be molded and controlled under the omnipotent, blind and self-righteous authority of science.

It should be noted that despite the promise of embryonic and adult stem cell research, laboratory science holds no hope for a cure of diseases of the soul, which threaten us in ways far more unimaginable than our physical ills. Only Pope John Paul II has had the vision to declare unequivocally that embryonic research is a moral evil.

Finally, as a Catholic, I think it merits mention that, as in the case of artificial contraception, abortion and in vitro fertilization, it is a certainty that the Catholic popular vote, so influenced by the Zeitgeist, will once again reject Catholic teaching, this time, on embryonic stem cell research.

I hereby declare that I will never avail myself of any therapeutic measure realized upon the genetic backs of anonymous embryonic souls (discarded or otherwise). And as a Catholic, I fully expect -- as in the case of all other life issues over the last 30-plus years -- not to hear from priest or bishop in regard to the latest picking of forbidden fruit from that off-limits tree in God's garden.
-- Kevin D. Murray, Tampa

Salvation Army loses support

I find it interesting to note that certain organized religious charities are now revealing their reasons for being less than enthusiastic when President Bush announced his support for "faith-based funding for social services."

I continue to be mystified as to why some of these groups believe they need to defend and preserve their various judgmental preferences regarding ethnicity, race, gender or gender preference on the part of other people. First, we had the Boy Scouts, and now it's the Salvation Army.

Well, I am personally shocked regarding the Salvation Army's request to be exempt from the rules that the rest of us must live by. I will miss contributing to the Christmas bucket, which I have faithfully and joyfully done for 36 years. I will find a "truly" Christian group to support this year.
-- Linda Thornton, Largo

Contributions don't seem needed

Re: White House backs off on groups' hiring of gays, July 11.

I was amazed to learn that the Salvation Army can spend "between $88,000 and $110,000 per month" to support President Bush's "faith-based" initiative.

There will be no more contributions from our house to the Salvation Army if its budget is large enough for that kind of support, especially for something we don't accept.
-- Mrs. Ned W. Curtis, Palm Harbor

State's commitment to schools is real

Some debates are honest debates and some are not. Florida's financial commitment to public education and meaningful support to its teachers has never been greater, yet some are deliberately misrepresenting Florida's record in order to promote a partisan agenda. I say "deliberately" because there is no gray area when talking about the big numbers.

Florida has provided a record three-year increase of more than $2.35-billion for K-12 education, over $200 more per student each year. Teacher salaries in some districts have risen by as much as 18 percent since 1998. This year we are awarding bonuses to veteran teachers and as incentives to new ones, while also paying the full cost of each teacher's liability insurance.

We have appropriated more than $76-million over the past few years for our Excellent Teacher Program. This not only funds professional development, but also supplements a successful teacher's salary by nearly $8,000 a year.

Finally, the A+ Plan targets unprecedented additional resources to our most challenged schools so they can decrease class sizes and provide extra teacher support. We are now helping those kids and those schools needing it most.

Reasonable people can disagree about where we need to go from here, but it is disingenuous to throw sand in the eyes of our people so that parents and teachers are confused about where we are. That record $2.35-billion isn't an accounting trick, it's real money for real schools teaching real students.

I'm a real state certified public school teacher and administrator who earned a little over $9,000 a year in my first job as a public schoolteacher in Stuart. We've come a long way since then. Florida used to be a national embarrassment -- horrible dropout rates, huge illiteracy rates, bureaucratic bungling, legislative apathy, minuscule teacher salaries -- but we're beginning to turn that around and are increasingly seen as a national leader in accountability, performance and in supporting our public schoolteachers.

Gov. Jeb Bush and I have long insisted that our teachers are heroes, and our record backs up those words. It's a record we plan to build on each year, doing more and more to improve upon these clear successes. We welcome debate on how best to do that, but call on all Floridians to dismiss those who will not engage in debate honestly.
-- Frank T. Brogan, lieutenant governor, Tallahassee

Don't distort Christianity

I am a 23-year-old Christian and I thought your article And God made the world... BOOTYLICIOUS? was awesome! Too many times people claim Christianity with their mouths, but their hearts are far from God. Being a Christian is not something you pick up and put down when it is convenient for you.

Christianity is a lifestyle, a change of heart. Christianity is accepting the love of God, which is his son Jesus, and letting the Holy Spirit lead and guide your life.

If we say that we are Christians, we must possess a single-minded passion to please God. Our greatest desire should be to live a life of holiness and to be accepted by God, not man.

If we truly love Christ, then we would want everything we do to glorify God. Christianity means to take on the image of Christ and walk in his likeness, not to take the image and distort it.
-- Tameka Scott, St. Petersburg

Don't be so quick to judge

Re: And God made the world ... Bootylicious?

Bootylicious Christians? It seems the girls of Destiny's Child have split personalities, yes? I'm not quite sure about that. Their hit single Bootylicious, which is at No. 7 on Billboard's Hot 100 and poised to move up next week, does not make any reference to their Christianity. Similarly, the gospel medley at the closing of Survivor does not say anything about their jelly.

What is a Christian? I would say it is someone who believes in Jesus Christ and his teachings. Another person might go into more detail about what a Christian is. The fact is all of us sin, and it seems that some are so worried about others' sins that they've forgotten how to be friendly. None of us can be a perfect Christian.

If I were raising kids right now, I would much rather they listen to artists like Destiny's Child, who at least proclaim their love for God in their speech, than someone who has a fairly conservative, clean image but proclaims his disbelief.

I know it is not my place to judge whether these artists are good Christians or not. They choose to believe, and they choose to express their love for the lord to the public. A child who is anything like I was will be more influenced by what a group says than what a group sings about. So the members of Destiny's Child say they are bootylicious, yet they say they are Christians. If the two words don't sound right together, then don't say them together. We all sin. They believe. At least they are letting everyone know how much they love the Lord.
-- Kyle Scherer, Dunedin

Pleasant memories of train travel

Re: Traveling by train regains its allure, by Bill Maxwell, July 18.

I enjoyed so much Bill Maxwell's column about his memories of train travel. Thanks, sir.

It brought back my memories of travel by train several times each year. At first were the locals in North Carolina and then the ultimate for a little boy -- the first ride on the Carolina Special from Asheville, N.C., to Cincinnati, the first leg of a trip into Tennessee, alongside the beautiful French Broad River. The train was so close to the river -- no highways were there. I remember a lady told me about a trip she had from New York City to Spartanburg, S.C. "On arriving at my destination, I did not want to get off -- the security and fun of the train." I always felt the same.

Of course, people don't think that way now. They are impatient and miserable before they leave, during their trip and on arrival -- by whatever form of transportation they use.

Enjoy your trip on the Silver Palm to Fort Lauderdale, Mr. Maxwell. Next time, please don't leave us behind.
-- C.B. Nelon, Tarpon Springs

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