By Charissa M. Carroll
Head Staff Writer

If St. Francis of Assisi were alive today, it seems certain that he would have enthusiastically embraced the message of protecting life at all stages espoused at the Oct. 4 Critical Life Issues Conference.

It was on the feast day of the saint, who was known for his love and service to all living creatures, that approximately 300 educators, volunteers, clergy, religious and health care personnel gathered in the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway, to fight against a growing culture of death. Representing the voice of pro-life youth were more than two dozen attendees from Bishop George Ahr High School, Edison; Cardinal McCarrick High School, South Amboy, and Rutgers University, New Brunswick.

During the conference, Bishop Emeritus Edward T. Hughes made a brief appearance to thank attendees for their dedication to the cause and urge pro-life advocates to persevere in a difficult climate. Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski was on hand to celebrate the Liturgy that kicked off the day-long event.

Sponsored by the diocesan Commission for Pro-Life Action and organized by Jennifer Ruggiero, director of the Office for Pro-Life Activities, the event featured a slate of expert speakers who offered personal stories of hope, analysis on timely issues and encouragement for those committed to affirming human life.

In his homily, Bishop Bootkoski told congregants that they had come together for an important reason: "To praise and thank [God] for the gift of life from the womb to the tomb." He noted that the event’s concurrence with St. Francis’ feast day was "fitting" since the saint embodied "Christ crucified."

" . . . Whether you are on a committee that is anti-abortion or one that is concerned with elders and their quality of life, you must follow the example of Jesus through Francis and have respect for all life. We are called to live a simple life, and be thankful for that gift from God — how precious, how beautiful."

In the event brochure, the bishop wrote that the conference theme, Each Human Life . . . Carved in the Palm of His Hand, "reminds us that every human being is unique, unrepeatable and irreplaceable."

Though the Church is generally in favor of advances in science and technology, there exist today a number of medical procedures which infringe upon the dignity of the human person, said Richard M. Doerflinger, deputy director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In his presentation, Doerflinger examined the moral ramifications of reproductive technology, such as in-vitro fertilization. The procedure, which involves uniting a sperm cell and egg in a Petri dish before implanting the newly-formed embryo in a woman’s uterus, first made headlines when the world’s first "test-tube baby" was born in 1978.

Doerflinger, who also serves as adjunct fellow in bioethics and public policy in the National Catholic Bioethics Center, said this was the first real evidence that "procreation can be severed from a loving, bodily union between man and wife."

When these two purposes of marital love are separated, he said, "it is harmful to sexuality, to family and to society." A quarter century later, the result has been a growing acceptance of contraception and abortion, the unraveling of marital commitment, and an increase in casual sex, Doerflinger added.

Another serious problem with IVF involves the vast number of "spare embryos" often created by the procedure. "It’s ironic that a method begun to create wanted children has created so many unwanted embryos," he said.

Perhaps most disturbing is the fact that "the IVF procedure has set the stage for human cloning," Doerflinger said. He noted that though cloning has not yet been successful in humans, testing on animals has revealed that more than 90 percent of embryos will die as a result of reproductive experimentation, which is meant to create new life. Therapeutic cloning, on the other hand, is specifically meant for research purposes and results in the death of 100 percent of the embryos.

The Church strongly opposes any of these methods because they all destroy human lives, and are a means to manipulate and control procreation, Doerflinger said. According to many scientists and researchers, clones are non-persons, just as abortion advocates don’t consider unborn children to be human, he commented.

"But God still gives a living, human soul, no matter how children are conceived – whether through rape, incest, IVF, cloning," Doerflinger stated. "They are all as human as anyone else. All of us transcend our human origins, including clones."

An award-winning author, international lecturer and public advocate, Wesley J. Smith provided an analysis of regenerative medicine, which uses stem cells to replace cells that have been damaged or destroyed by spinal cord injuries or diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s or multiple sclerosis.

Though many scientists insist the only way to achieve success is by using embryonic stem cells, Smith said adult stem cells are proving to be an ethical and more effective solution. Embryonic stem cell research inevitably destroys human life, he said, while use of adult stem cells does not. And, research on animals has shown that, for unknown reasons, embryonic stem cells frequently cause tumors and may result in recipients rejecting the cells in the way in which transplanted organs are rejected.

Adult stem cells have thus far shown much success and promise when used in both animals and humans. But Smith explained that most scientists will not publicize these successes is because they have their own agendas.

Like IVF, embryonic stem cell research will "start us on a path that leads to cloning," he said. It would be a development that would "utterly dehumanize" the world ala Brave New World, Smith stated.

He also discussed increasingly popular theories of "personhood," which define an individual’s humanity based on a certain level of cognitive capacity, thus leaving out all unborn life, newborn issues, people with diseases such as Alzheimer’s and others with limited abilities.

"The personhood theory is a way to kill humans and get a good night’s sleep," Smith said. ". . . Human life has become a corn crop to be harvested. Many consider certain people’s lives to be as valuable as penicillin mold. We have on our hands a serious moral crisis."

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