Council 112 Respect Life Report February 2007

Tony Marino is an Air Force veteran who later received a degree in English Literature at Long Island University. For more than 30 years, he was an insurance agent for Aetna before eventually becoming a private insurance consultant. Since his retirement in 2003, he has devoted himself to the service of St. Peter's Parish in Concord and the Right to Life movement in New Hampshire. Tony has been married to his wife, Annette for more than 40 years. They have ten children and 22 grandchildren.

I attended the Right to Life March in Washington, DC that took place on January 22 and I was again truly amazed at the turnout. The weather was not great, but poor weather did not dampen either the number of marchers or the enthusiasm for the pro-life cause. In attendance with me were two of my grandchildren, both age fifteen, who enthusiastically took up the cause of pro-life after attending the Youth Rally and Mass at the Verizon Center. The March this year confirmed for me that we need to expose our young people to the realities of defending the Culture of Life. Our American civilization depends upon it. I am also pleased to report that another Council 112 member was present at the March, Jim Preisendorfer. I hope that in 2008 other members of our Council will want to attend. Three buses full of supporters from New Hampshire attended the March, and in 2008 I would like to see that number double.

In an article titled Imposing My Religion: Everyone Does Metaphysics, the author discusses a New York Times article written by Senator John Danforth, who supports and advocates embryonic stem cell research. Though the article does not mention it, Senator Danforth is not only a Republican. He was, prior to his political career, an Episcopal Minister. Senator Danforth takes the position that government restrictions on embryonic stem cell research “wrongly impose a particular religious view on a pluralistic society." He states, according to the article, that "it is not evident to many of us that cells in a Petri dish are equivalent to identifiable people suffering from terrible diseases…” I guess that Senator Danforth sees human life only when he is able to identify that life in its more mature form, otherwise he is unable to conclude that those human cells in the Petri dish are a person. Unfortunately, Senator Danforth’s conclusions are not only theologically incorrect but scientifically incorrect as well. Science tells us that embryonic cells growing in a Petri dish are no less human than the mature adult they will become. The embryonic cells are not mere clumps of cells but rather distinct, living, whole human beings who possess all of the DNA, and hence all of the attributes of the mature adult that they will become.

Senator Danforth, certainly from his education, ought to realize that Jesus Christ did not appear on this planet as a mature, fully recognizable adult. No, Jesus Christ, consistent with the science of life, created by God, started from a single cell, became a clump of cells, and ultimately developed into a mature human. The only difference being that Jesus was Divine from the formation of His first cell. Does Senator Danforth believe that Herod’s “massacre of the infants” would have been sinless if the massacre had only involved embryos? I think not! Senator Danforth, and others who hold his view of human development, should re-think their position and realize that humans have being from their first moment of conception. They do not acquire humanity because of the properties that come to them later in their development. The inability to discern a human being in the embryo does not allow the destruction of that embryo, for any reason.

	COUNCIL #112 • 52 Bradley Street • Concord NH 03301 • (603) 228-8927 •

RETURN TO RESPECT LIFE PAGE AWARDS AND HONORS BIRTHDAYS CHURCH PROGRAMS COMMUNITY PROGRAMS COUNCIL NEWS FAMILY PROGRAMS FIRST DEGREE TEAM GOOD OF THE ORDER INSURANCE KNIGHT OF THE MONTH LINKS OUR GRAND KNIGHT PHOTOS VIDEO OF THE MONTH YOUTH PROGRAMS CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO VISIT OUR FATHER McGIVNEY SITE	Tony Marino is an Air Force veteran who later received a degree in English Literature at Long Island University. For more than 30 years, he was an insurance agent for Aetna before eventually becoming a private insurance consultant. Since his retirement in 2003, he has devoted himself to the service of St. Peter's Parish in Concord and the Right to Life movement in New Hampshire. Tony has been married to his wife, Annette for more than 40 years. They have ten children and 22 grandchildren. Council 112 Respect Life Report February 2007 I attended the Right to Life March in Washington, DC that took place on January 22 and I was again truly amazed at the turnout. The weather was not great, but poor weather did not dampen either the number of marchers or the enthusiasm for the pro-life cause. In attendance with me were two of my grandchildren, both age fifteen, who enthusiastically took up the cause of pro-life after attending the Youth Rally and Mass at the Verizon Center. The March this year confirmed for me that we need to expose our young people to the realities of defending the Culture of Life. Our American civilization depends upon it. I am also pleased to report that another Council 112 member was present at the March, Jim Preisendorfer. I hope that in 2008 other members of our Council will want to attend. Three buses full of supporters from New Hampshire attended the March, and in 2008 I would like to see that number double. In an article titled Imposing My Religion: Everyone Does Metaphysics, the author discusses a New York Times article written by Senator John Danforth, who supports and advocates embryonic stem cell research. Though the article does not mention it, Senator Danforth is not only a Republican. He was, prior to his political career, an Episcopal Minister. Senator Danforth takes the position that government restrictions on embryonic stem cell research “wrongly impose a particular religious view on a pluralistic society." He states, according to the article, that "it is not evident to many of us that cells in a Petri dish are equivalent to identifiable people suffering from terrible diseases…” I guess that Senator Danforth sees human life only when he is able to identify that life in its more mature form, otherwise he is unable to conclude that those human cells in the Petri dish are a person. Unfortunately, Senator Danforth’s conclusions are not only theologically incorrect but scientifically incorrect as well. Science tells us that embryonic cells growing in a Petri dish are no less human than the mature adult they will become. The embryonic cells are not mere clumps of cells but rather distinct, living, whole human beings who possess all of the DNA, and hence all of the attributes of the mature adult that they will become. Senator Danforth, certainly from his education, ought to realize that Jesus Christ did not appear on this planet as a mature, fully recognizable adult. No, Jesus Christ, consistent with the science of life, created by God, started from a single cell, became a clump of cells, and ultimately developed into a mature human. The only difference being that Jesus was Divine from the formation of His first cell. Does Senator Danforth believe that Herod’s “massacre of the infants” would have been sinless if the massacre had only involved embryos? I think not! Senator Danforth, and others who hold his view of human development, should re-think their position and realize that humans have being from their first moment of conception. They do not acquire humanity because of the properties that come to them later in their development. The inability to discern a human being in the embryo does not allow the destruction of that embryo, for any reason. Next Article -->
	© Copyright 1999 - 2002 by Knights of Columbus. All Rights Reserved. Send comments or questions to the web page editor, webmaster@kofc112.org.