Those who profess a reverence for the “sanctity of life” simply can’t be allowed to pretend that existing life — people who were already born — don’t matter. They (we) do.

Nearly everyone knows someone whose life could be dramatically changed or saved if only our federal government would recognize the tremendous benefit that could be realized here.

You misrepresent the “right-to-life” position, Netmom.

The opponents of embryonic stem cell research believe that the rights of blastocyst-Americans are the same as those of post-natal citizens. They don’t pretend that we “don’t matter.” They pretend that blastocysts matter just as much as we do and are entitled to the same Constitutional protections that we are.

I find it curious, though, that they don’t oppose IVF for the same reason. A necessary consequence of the IVF industry is that hundreds of thousands of embryos have been produced that will never be implanted and allowed to develop to birth. Eventually, these embryos will be destroyed. So most embryos created by IVF are created to be “killed.” Why is it better to “murder” blastocyst-Americans by dumping them in the trash than to “murder” them to relieve the suffering of others.

Of course, I don’t believe that destroying human embryos is murder. But if one did, one would have to oppose IVF.