Killing Human Embryos is Morally Wrong!
A human embryo must be destroyed to obtain embryonic stem cells. Destroying the youngest member of our human family shows a profound disrespect for human life.
The Ends Don't Justify the Means!
Some pro-life members of Congress support funding of ESCR on the basis that this research could save the lives of people with debilitating diseases. This obfuscation of the term "pro-life" is based on a utilitarian ethic. It is unethical to destroy innocent human lives for the sake of others. Just as it is unethical to kill human fetuses for their organs, it is unethical to kill human embryos for their stem cells.
Even Clinton’s Bioethics Council Concluded Embryos “Deserve Respect as a Form of Human Life.”
In 1999, even President Clinton's National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC) acknowledged broad agreement in our society that early human embryos "deserve respect as a form of human life" (NBAC, Ethical Issues in Human Stem Cell Research, 1999, p. ii). NBAC recommended funding of embryonic stem cell research, only if there were no alternatives. Adult stem cells are currently used to treat humans of many diseases.
Taxpayers Shouldn’t be Forced to Spend Their Hard Earned Money on Embryo Destruction.
Federal funding of the destruction of human embryos for research is unethical. The question of whether we should federally fund embryo destruction is the same question as whether we should federally fund abortion. The debate is over the use of taxpayers’ money, not whether the experiments should be legal. American taxpayers should not be forced to fund unethical research.
The Federal Government Should Not Create a Direct Incentive to Destroy Human Embryos.
Even if researchers do not use federal funds to directly destroy the embryos, federal funding will encourage researchers to destroy human embryos for their stem cells, or to purchase those cells from researchers who destroyed embryos to obtain them.