Join Date: 05/09/2007
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Monroe County Right to Life
Welcome to the Monroe County Right to Life profile page. Feel free to visit our website or contact us at rburke@monroertl.org.
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| President's Editorial |
To Be or Not To Be a Human Embryo
By: Robert M Burke
The battle line has been drawn. On one side are the advocates for life – Human life. On the other side are advocates for, well, let’s just say – research material - and the profits and fame obtained through its use. The battle line is the human embryo, a person so small that he or she could fit on the head of a pin. But wait! Am I correct in describing the human embryo as a person? Well, ask yourself these questions: “When did I become a person?” “Was it when I received life?” “Was there some point in my existence when I was “not” a person?” “What does it mean to be a person?” “When I was a human embryo, was I a person endowed with self-evident and unalienable rights, such as Life?
The answer to these questions will determine the destiny of many human embryos that scientists want to deliberately penetrate for the extraction of embryonic stem cells. Unfortunately, the current process used by stem cell researchers does more than “damage the embryo”; it kills the embryo.
There are people who say that the human embryo is not a person but just a clump of cells. Where have we heard that argument before? Oh yes, in the fight to end abortion. And while the battles for the rights of babies in the womb rage on, science has been affirming that life begins when the gift of life is given, at conception. If so, then the human embryo who is only 4 – 7 days old is endowed with the self-evident truth of the right to life. Looking at a human embryo and seeing only a clump of cells is like looking at Mt. Rushmore and seeing only the rocks and dirt; or a painting by Rembrandt and seeing only the canvas and paint. If the beauty of these creations exist beyond the raw material that’s visible, how much more beautiful is the person who grows from conception?
Make no mistake about it. In the great human embryonic stem cell research debate that is pulsating through our state and beyond, we will define what kind of people we are. Are we people who believe we should protect those who are the most poor, innocent, and voiceless among us, like zygotes, embryos, blastocysts, fetuses, babies, and people unconscious, in comas, or in persistent vegetative states? When we, as a people, accept definitions of the human person that finds its starting point at some arbitrary moment in time “after” conception, then we will become people that fail to embrace the “human potential;” a potential that begins in mystery and ends in mystery. We become people that fail to see beyond the visible, such as seeing your wife or husband verses just woman or man. When we, as a society, venture down this path, we inaugurate a utilitarian, cold, and monstrous mindset; and that is quite scary. Remember the movie Logan’s Run from the seventy’s?
There are those who want to change our current laws in Michigan to allow stem cell extraction from little human embryos; a process which currently kills him or her. [Oh yes, these same people also support human cloning, (a.k.a. nuclear transfer, somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), therapeutic cloning, or customized stem cell lines) where the end result is a cloned human embryo – which brings us back to the question of when human life truly begins.] But shouldn’t our laws reflect what’s best of human thought and development? Shouldn’t our laws be designed to safeguard the self-evident right to life for all people? I’m all for stem cell research, just not embryonic stem cell research where a human embryo must unwillingly die.
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| Event Posts |
2008 Monroe County Right to Life Baby Contest
2008 Monroe County Right to Life Baby Contest
Sunday, July 27th - Friday, August 1st at the Monroe County Fair
Is there a special baby in your family?
Enter a picture of her or him in the 2008 Monroe County Right to Life Baby Contest. The contest will be held during the Monroe County Fair at the Right to Life Fair booth. Votes will be made by fair visitors and will be determined by monetary donations (e.g. One cent = one vote, $1 = 100 votes, etc.). Prizes for the baby contest will be awarded to the winners and runners-up in each of the four categories. Participants are also welcome to enter a small float featuring their baby in the Monroe County Fair Parade. There will be two float winners (a boy and a girl) judged by the booth workers.
* Categories: 0 - 18 months and 19-36 months (10 boys and 10 girls in each age group).
* All babies must be Monroe County Residents.
* Contestants are chosen on a first come basis. All applicants will be notified the week of July 14th as to the status of their entry.
* All contestants may participate in the fair parade on Sunday, July 27th; however, this is not a requirement.
* The size of your baby’s photo must be at least 3x5 and no larger than 5x7.
* Entry deadline: Saturday, July 12, 2008. Entries must be postmarked no later than July 12th. Entries postmarked after this date will not be accepted.
* Entry fee: $3.00. Please send money order or check made payable to Monroe County Right to Life.
* Mail completed entry form, baby’s photo, and entry fee to Monroe County Right to Life, P.O. Box 2324, Monroe, MI 48161.
For additional information, contact Robert M. Burke at rburke@monroertl.org or phone: 517.265.8748 or visit our website at www.monroertl.org.
Mother: ______________________________
Father: ______________________________
Legal Guardian (if applicable): ______________________________
Baby’s Name: ______________________________
Age: ________
Birth date: _______________
Address: ______________________________
City: ______________________________
State: _______________
Zip code: __________
Phone: (____)____________________
Will you be participating in the parade? Yes ________ No ________
Sun July 27th, 2008
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2008 Focus on Life Benefit Dinner
This year we are honored to have as our keynote speaker -- Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director for Priests for Life! The evening will prove to be highly stimulating and deeply rewarding as we come together for the sake of our precious unborn and to promote a culture of life in Monroe County and beyond!
6:00pm - Social Hour / 7:00pm - Dinner Program.
Location: LaRoy's Hall, 12375 South Telegraph Road, LaSalle, MI 48145. (LaSalle is about six miles south of the city of Monroe.)
Stay tuned for further details.
Thu October 16th, 2008
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| Announcements |
Three Cheers For Our Youth!!
On March 29th, 2008, Andrew J. Jones, a freshman at Dundee High School, was named the winner of our first annual high school oratory contest sponsored by Monroe County Right To Life and Right To Life of Michigan with his speech on stem cell research.
His well researched presentation included reference to the November 20, 2007 report that two independent teams of researchers successfully reprogrammed human skin cells so that they were identical to stem cells derived from embryos. This resolves the ethical and reliability issues encountered in harvesting stem cell from embryos and thus destroying them. He was awarded $100 for first place and will compete in the statewide competition which will be held at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Holt, MI on May 3rd.
Nathan Schultz, a junior at Lutheran High School South was awarded $50 as the second place winner. His presentation was a powerful argument against euthanasia.
Elly Netter, a sophomore at Sand Creek High School and a resident of Adrian in neighboring Lenawee County took third place and the $25 award with an insightful poem on abortion.
Kyle Burkardt, a freshman at Saint Mary Catholic Central, and Katie LaVoy, a senior at Erie-Mason High School also participated. All participants received certificates recognizing their achievement and will be recognized at upcoming events.
The panel of judges included Rev. Dr. Michael A. Woroniewicz, D.Min.,Pastor of St. Irene Catholic Church, Dundee, the Honorable Terrence P. Bronson, 1st District Court, and Mr. Larry Feldpausch, biology teacher at Ida High School.
The contest was held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Monroe, MI.
We are proud of all the participants and inspired by their strong enthusiasm in promoting a culture of life from conception to natural death!!!
To Be or Not To Be a Human Embryo by: Robert M. Burke, President
The battle line has been drawn. On one side are the advocates for life – Human life. On the other side are advocates for, well, let’s just say – research material - and the profits and fame obtained through its use. The battle line is the human embryo, a person so small that he or she could fit on the head of a pin. But wait! Am I correct in describing the human embryo as a person? Well, ask yourself these questions: “When did I become a person?” “Was it when I received life?” “Was there some point in my existence when I was “not” a person?” “What does it mean to be a person?” “When I was a human embryo, was I a person endowed with self-evident and unalienable rights, such as Life?
The answer to these questions will determine the destiny of many human embryos that scientists want to deliberately penetrate for the extraction of embryonic stem cells. Unfortunately, the current process used by stem cell researchers does more than “damage the embryo”; it kills the embryo.
There are people who say that the human embryo is not a person but just a clump of cells. Where have we heard that argument before? Oh yes, in the fight to end abortion. And while the battles for the rights of babies in the womb rage on, science has been affirming that life begins when the gift of life is given, at conception. If so, then the human embryo who is only 4 – 7 days old is endowed with the self-evident truth of the right to life. Looking at a human embryo and seeing only a clump of cells is like looking at Mt. Rushmore and seeing only the rocks and dirt; or a painting by Rembrandt and seeing only the canvas and paint. If the beauty of these creations exist beyond the raw material that’s visible, how much more beautiful is the person who grows from conception?
Make no mistake about it. In the great human embryonic stem cell research debate that is pulsating through our state and beyond, we will define what kind of people we are. Are we people who believe we should protect those who are the most poor, innocent, and voiceless among us, like zygotes, embryos, blastocysts, fetuses, babies, and people unconscious, in comas, or in persistent vegetative states? When we, as a people, accept definitions of the human person that finds its starting point at some arbitrary moment in time “after” conception, then we will become people that fail to embrace the “human potential;” a potential that begins in mystery and ends in mystery. We become people that fail to see beyond the visible, such as seeing your wife or husband verses just woman or man. When we, as a society, venture down this path, we inaugurate a utilitarian, cold, and monstrous mindset; and that is quite scary. Remember the movie Logan’s Run from the seventy’s?
There are those who want to change our current laws in Michigan to allow stem cell extraction from little human embryos; a process which currently kills him or her. [Oh yes, these same people also support human cloning, (a.k.a. nuclear transfer, somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), therapeutic cloning, or customized stem cell lines) where the end result is a cloned human embryo – which brings us back to the question of when human life truly begins.] But shouldn’t our laws reflect what’s best of human thought and development? Shouldn’t our laws be designed to safeguard the self-evident right to life for all people? I’m all for stem cell research, just not embryonic stem cell research where a human embryo must unwillingly die.
To watch a video on this incredibly important topic, click on:
The Science of Stem Cells: Finding Cures & Protecting Life
2008 Focus on Life Dinner
Our 2008 Focus on Life Dinner benefit dinner will be held on Thursday, October 16, 2008 at LaRoy's Hall in LaSalle, MI. This year's distinguished keynote speaker is Fr. Frank Pavone who is the National Director for Priests for Life! The evening will be highly engaging,stimulating, and deeply moving! Tickets will be available soon!
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| Pregnant? Need help? |
Are you pregnant and in need of assistance? Please contact Heartbeat of Monroe for non-violent solutions to your problems. They can be reached at (734)243-6550 or (800)870-6550.
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| Mission Statement |
Monroe County Right to Life is an affiliate of Right to Life of Michigan and shares its vision to protect the precious gift of human life from conception to natural death. We are a group of volunteers that compose a nonpartisan, nonsectarian, and non profit organization committed to educating and promoting pro-life issues in our community.
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| Issues / News / Stats |
ROE vs. Wade
How much do your know about this tragically flawed decision? Click here and see: Roe IQ
"Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights--for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture--is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundemental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination." -Pope John Paul II
Abortion Statistics
Legalized abortion represents the greatest human rights violation in the history of the world. Since Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion in this country on January 22, 1973, over 47 million unborn babies have been killed in the United States alone as a result of abortions. Approximately 4000 unborn lives are taken every single day in this country. Worldwide, millions of babies are aborted every year.
Stem Cell Research Debate
In addition to the abortion holocaust that we currently face in our country, many people would like you to believe that embryos are not really human and that conducting research on them is a successful way to find cures for many diseases. Both of these ideas are false. Human life begins at conception and an embryo represents a human being in its smallest form. As human beings, each embryo deserves all the rights that you and I have. Because they are smaller than us does not reduce their value as human beings. In addition, embryonic stem cell research has not yielded a single cure for any human disease. Embryonic stem cells are nowhere near even being tested in human patients, much less curing millions of people. Conversely, adult stem cells and stem cells from umbilical cords have already been used to treat humans suffering from a wide variety of diseases. Research on adult stem cells and umbilical cord stem cells have shown us that we don't need to kill human embryos to treat diseases.
Cloning
Some researchers want to clone human embryos and then remove their stem cells for research. In other words, they want to create human beings for the sole purpose of killing them and conducting scientific experiments on them. This practice is gravely unethical and a violation of the sanctity of human life. The cloned embryos used for embryonic stem cell research are living human beings, but they will never be treated as such. They will be treated as commodities used only to serve the needs of others. Contact your legislator to speak out against embryonic stem cell research and human cloning.
Voting/Election Thoughts
You Wouldn't Even Ask
"If a candidate who supported terrorism asked for your vote, would you say, 'I disagree with you on terrorism, but where do you stand on other issues?' I doubt it. In fact, if a terrorism sympathizer presented him/herself for your vote, you would immediately know that such a position disqualifies the candidate for public office-no matter how good he or she may be on other issues... Abortion is no less violent than terrorism. Any candidate who says abortion should be kept legal disqualifies him/herself from public service. We need look no further, we need pay no attention to what that candidate says on other issues. Support for abortion is enough for us to decide not to vote for such a person."
-Excerpt from the book, Ending Abortion Not Just Fighting It, by Fr. Frank Pavone.
To order a copy of this insightful book, visit Priests for Life
The Link Between Abortion and Breast Cancer
Numerous studies over the last forty years have shown that women who have abortions increase their risk of contracting breast cancer later in life. One such study conducted in 1990, which summarized findings from seven different countries including the U.S, found that "abortions, either multiple or occurring before the first full term pregnancy, have been shown to be significantly associated with breast cancer risks." Another study, conducted in 1994 by the National Cancer Institute, found that women who had an abortion increased their risk of breast cancer by 50%. Despite the proven link between abortion and breast cancer, some breast cancer awareness groups, such as the Susan G. Komen Foundation, contribute financially to Planned Parenthood, the nation's leading abortion provider. It is unclear why the Komen Foundation, whose mission is to "save lives and end breast cancer," would contribute to an organization that is responsible for the deaths of countless unborn lives and is also responsible for the increased risk of breast cancer in thousands of women each year.
Adoption
If you are currently facing a troubled pregnancy, one option you might consider is adoption. There are two main types of adoption. The first type is a closed adoption, in which your identity is protected and the adoption is confidential. The second type of adoption to consider is an open adoption. With an open adoption, you may pick the adoptive parents from a list of profiles, exchange letters through the adoption agency, have a confidential meeting with the adoptive parents, or even keep in contact with the adoptive family after the adoption. For more information about your adoptive options or to explore other non-violent solutions to your troubled pregnancy, contact Heartbeat of Monroe at (734) 243-6550 or Catholic Social Services at (734) 240-3850
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| Volunteer |
Become Part of the Solution
Monroe County Right to Life needs your help in raising pro-life awareness in our community. We offer a wide range of volunteer opportunities and you may contribute as much or as little time as you wish. If you would like to help protect the sanctity of life, please conact us at P.O. Box 2324, Monroe MI 48161 or www.monroertl.org.
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