| voters
guide – election 2008 |
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|
feature
He opposes any medical research that involves destroying human
embryos. Find out why Dave feels so strongly, and speaks out
so forcefully. Here’s the information you need to consider
before heading to the ballot box on Nov. 4.
Why Dave Doyle opposes embryonic stem-cell
research
By Kevin Duffy | Photography by
Tom Gennara
|
 |
feature
Read his message as you think about your vote.
How
shall I cast my vote? A letter from Bishop Boyea
By
Bishop Earl Boyea |
 |
feature
The Michigan Catholic Conference addresses the issues, and gives
some points to ponder before you cast your vote.
How should I vote?
– Michigan Catholic Conference |
When life takes a turn
How the St. Amant family got through
David's life-threatening accident
By Nancy Schertzing, Photography by Jim Luning
Steve and Linda St. Amant had built
a comfortable life together amid the farmlands and streams of their
youth. In the spring of 2003, these childhood sweethearts had three
nearly grown children: Marc and Laura, attending Western Michigan
University, and David, who had just earned his driver’s license.
The whole family was enjoying their newfound freedom, until the
evening of May 30.
The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures. By still waters He gives
me rest.
While shopping that evening, Steve and Linda were paged to the mall
office for an urgent phone call. The sheriff’s deputy on the
line told them David had run a stop sign and collided with an oncoming
van. He was being flown to the trauma unit at Bronson Medical Center
in Kalamazoo – the nearest Level One Trauma Center.
When Steve and Linda arrived at Bronson, David’s only obvious
injury was a cut on his chin and an unresponsive condition. His
clenched jaw and fists, however, signaled that he had suffered a
severe brain injury. Within days, his balled fists were twisting
into the fetal position and his foot dropped as his coma deepened.
Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death,
I will fear no evil.
Comatose, David could feel his family’s loving presence –
and something more. He explains: “I remember being on a cloud
for some time, with deceased family members. I remember Grandma
St. Amant’s grin and Grandpa Rehbein. They came to me in some
order. Then I saw a big guy standing up. He didn’t say anything,
but I knew it wasn’t my time.
“I also remember being up north with our family, swimming
and playing in the AuTrain River, like we do on vacation. I went
under water but I could still see us all playing and having a good
time. Then suddenly I was swimming through a watery tunnel for some
time. Finally, I came to the surface. As I broke through, I took
a deep breath of fresh air.”
 For
You are with me. Your rod and your staff comfort me.
“We didn’t know what we could expect when, or if, Dave
came out of the coma,” Steve explains. “I don’t
think anyone knew – not even the hospital staff. At first,
we wondered if we had the strength to make it through. But the strength
came.”
Knowing that, despite his coma, David could hear them, the St. Amant
family kept vigil at their youngest member’s bedside. Steve
or Linda spent weeknights in his room and weekends at the local
Ronald McDonald House. Laura, Marc and Marc’s fiancée,
Angie, took breaks from their studies to be with their brother and
parents – often spending nights snuggled together in the family’s
room in the Ronald McDonald House.
“It’s amazing how we came together as a family,”
Linda recalls. “Everything else was so foreign, though. Once
Dave was stabilized, they moved him to Mary Free Bed Rehab Facility
in Grand Rapids.”
“Eucharistic ministers there brought Communion to us twice
a week. That just made all the difference.” Linda seems surprised
as her voice cracks with emotion. “It’s hard to describe,
but it was like a rope – a little piece of normal that drew
us out of that bizarre world.”
Tears flowing freely, Linda continues, “No matter what kind
of day I was having, or Dave was having, the volunteer would come
and we would say the Lord’s Prayer, then share in the Eucharist
together. Things made sense for a few moments. It was probably the
only time I felt at peace.”
You have set a banquet before me and anointed my head with
oil. My cup overflows.
Within a week of the accident, Dave moved his toe in response to
a pin prick. His family was ecstatic. “You get excited over
the littlest things,” Steve explains. “The doctors told
us purposeful movement was our goal, and here it was! After that,
Dave just kept making progress.”
“After Dave emerged from his coma, we basically had to teach
him how to be,” Linda explains, “starting with how to
relate to space. The first time the staff sat him up, David didn’t
know how to sit straight or use his arms or legs to hold himself
up. He just keeled over because he didn’t have any sense of
space or his relationship to it.”
“The mind is so incredible,” Dave interjects, “it
can process information in so many ways! I basically had to return
to my childhood way of learning – from speaking to walking.
I even had to learn how to see again.”
Steve nods in agreement. “When Dave came home, he could only
give one-word answers because he had to train his diaphragm to push
air out into his vocal cords. He’s come so far.”
By December 2004 – just six months after his accident –
David served as best man in Marc and Angie’s wedding. The
next month, he returned to his high school for short intervals each
day. Though he couldn’t perform at his former level, Dave
seemed to gain purpose just from being in school. He traded his
wheelchair for a walker, then his walker for a cane.
In June 2005, David St. Amant walked unaided down the aisle at commencement
ceremonies with his classmates to thunderous applause and many tears.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
Today, David attends classes at Lansing Community College, pursuing
his life-long goal of following his father into the legal profession.
While he still struggles with short-term memory and slow motor skills,
David continues to make remarkable progress in transforming himself
and his world.
For example, through a program called Building Alliances for Disability
Leadership (BAD-L) David is developing recommendations for educators
in accommodating students with special needs. “Through my
work with BAD-L I’m learning that instead of being quiet,
we need to use our voices, because changes aren’t made until
someone makes [their need] known. I hope to show educators and administrators
it’s OK to use alternative teaching and testing methods, because
brains learn and process differently.”
Despite the obvious challenges his accident has caused, David has
found countless blessings as well.
“God wouldn’t make a mistake – only humans do
that.” Dave explains, “There really are lots of good
things about my accident!”
“I see that all people are better and stronger when they can
evaluate what’s really important and what’s not. I used
to spend my free time playing video games, but now I would much
rather be able to walk in the woods with my dog or go fishing with
Dad. That recognition of closeness means so much.”
“I have seen lots of people without strong families and I
thank God my family didn’t allow me to be one of them. I felt
I had a lot of upsets in my life. But now I just keep taking things
as they come. I have to live Life for Life!” Dave smiles.
Then he becomes serious. “People need to know they shouldn’t
fear death,” he says clearly. “There is a heaven. I
know. I’ve been there.”
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. –
Psalm 23
BAD-L: Building Alliances for
Disability Leadership
The BAD-L pilot program, launched in the fall of 2007, introduces
people with disabilities to sophisticated leadership skills and
networking opportunities. Recognizing that leaders with disabilities
are aging early and dying, BAD-L aims to increase the numbers of
leaders with disabilities – both in the disability rights
movement and in our communities. Its design reflects the leadership
development experiences of current disability leaders across the
state.
BAD-L pairs mentors (with or without disabilities) who are active
in various disability-related issues with self-identified emerging
leaders with disabilities who have some experience and desire to
improve the lives of people with disabilities in Michigan. Each
pair attends a series of day-long skill-building workshops and a
series of half-day practice sessions, all built around established
leadership development information and practice. Each pair identifies,
designs and then leads a community project which becomes the small
“laboratory” in which the emerging leader practices
the skills s/he is learning.
BAD-L is a partnership among some Michigan State University professors,
the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition and the Michigan Independent
Living Council. It is funded as a pilot program through an MSU FACT
grant, with matching funds from the two partner organizations.
Questions about BAD-L should be directed to Melinda Haus-Johnson
or Carolyn Lejuste at the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition,
4398 E. Lake Lansing Rd., East Lansing, MI 48823. Melinda@prosynergy.org
or Clejuste@prosynergy.org.; or Pennie Foster-Fishman, Michigan
State University, 125 D Psychology Department, East Lansing, MI,
48823, fosterfi@msu.edu.
Sister, Doctor –
the two
vocations of Sister Mara
By Eileen Gianiodis | Photography by Tom Gennara
Most 23-year-olds are finishing
up undergraduate classes and looking forward to work, or heading
off to grad school.
In that respect, Sister Mara Lester is no different than her contemporaries.
In fact, her aspirations to become a doctor may be some of the most
ambitious. Her road to Michigan State University has been a bit
different, though.
When she heard God’s call, Sister Mara didn’t want to
wait.
She will make her final profession of vows with the Religious Sisters
of Mercy of Alma in 2011 – when she is 28.
Her youth – in her vocation – is what makes her stand
out. But she’s never seen it that way.
“I don’t see what I’m doing as weird,” she
said. “I’m just listening to God.”
Listening to God has not been a straight path for Sister Mara.
Sister Mara describes her family as “Christmas and Easter
Catholics.” She decided to come back to the church when a
high-school friend called her out on her faith.
“She said, ‘You call yourself a Catholic, but are you
really? ’” Sister Mara says.
“I was trying to find where my identity was –
gymnast, track, honors classes, clarinet. It didn’t matter,
it still wasn’t satisfying.”
Mara began attending youth retreats and religious education classes.
She learned more about her faith.
“As I was in those (religious education) classes, I felt like
I had been in a desert – this is what I had been thirsting
for,” she says. Mara wasn’t alone in her conversion
– she and her father came back to the church at the same time.
Although her vocation was still a little blurry, it became crystal
clear when the assistant director of vocations in her Minnesota
diocese invited her to be a counselor at a religious vocations camp.
During the camp, Mara learned more about religious life
in general and met many religious who exemplified exactly what she
had been looking for.
“I saw that they were happy in whatever they were doing –
that happiness is what I sought. One of the women was a
doctor and a nun. It just blew away the stereotypes that I had.
They were having fun – and I had a new understanding of what
it meant to live a religious life.”
Sister Mara believes God guided her to this point in her life. As
a premature twin, she always felt like her life was a gift –
and that she needed to give back because of it.
During World Youth Day in Toronto, Mara became impatient. She was
invigorated by the universality of the church and its youth.
“Even though my relationship with the Lord was deepening,
I was becoming more demanding in my prayers. I wanted God to show
me: ‘Are you telling me yet, God?’”
God answered. After a friend, who was a seminarian, told his vocation
story, he asked her: ‘What about you?’ Mara knew it
was God asking.
“I discerned that I wanted to be in religious life,”
she says. “I knew that if I went back [to regular college
life], there would be an emptiness that wouldn’t go away.”
She called the sister who inspired her and then visited the motherhouse
in Alma that summer.
“There was a joy and peace that I felt when I was there,”
she says.
Mara began to tell each of her family members about her decision.
Everyone in her family was supportive. Her mother told her, “I
always knew that you would be a sister.”
Mara requested entrance to the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma
at age 18.
Her first assignment was to attend Michigan State University and
major in pre-medicine. She graduated with a bachelor of science
degree in May.
Sister Mara’s hope is that she will be able to bring
a different insight to medicine.
Since she attends classes in her habit, she has encountered many
questions about her vocation.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about what religious life
is,” she explains. “Our faith is not something to be
ashamed of. My challenge is to grow in my faith and sometimes that
means explaining it to others.
“I listen. I pray. I don’t fret. I read Scripture. I
can only hold on to Jesus Christ.”
She’s willing to listen to what God has in store for her.
The Religious Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Sisters of Mercy (RSM) have their motherhouse in Alma.
The name of their founder, Venerable Catherine Macauley, graces
the Macauley Health System. One of the order’s principal apostolates
is to the “poor, sick and ignorant” – primarily
in the areas of health care and education. Many of the sisters are
health care professionals; some, as Sister Mara hopes to be, are
doctors. The Sisters’ Mercy Health Care Clinics are located
in Alma; Jackson, Minn.; and Breuberg, Germany. Other sisters are
seminary professors or teachers.
The sisters follow the “little virtues” of Venerable
Catherine, which are humility, kindness, simplicity, patience, trust
, gentleness, courtesy and forbearance.
There are four stages of formation to become a Religious Sister
of Mercy:
• Postulancy: 12-month period of initial formation
that begins Sept. 8 each year.
• Novitiate: At the beginning of this two-year period, the
sister receives the habit and a religious name. She endeavors to
live the vows of the order.
• Temporary Vows: The first vows are taken for a period of
three years, after which they are normally taken for another two.
After that period, the sister may request perpetual vows.
• Continuing formation: sisters are called to continual consecration
through continuing formation.
For more information, contact the Religious Sisters of Mercy at
vocation @rsmofalma.org or call 989.388.2063. Visit www.rsmofalma.org.
How do you say "God"?
Stephanie started a Spanish religious education
class
By Bob Horning | Photography
by Tom Gennara
In 2007, while in Honduras on a mission trip,
Stephanie Curtis was painting walls one afternoon in a day-care
center. Knowing that she was a nursing student, the day-care volunteers
brought her attention to 7-year-old Noel, who could only speak a
couple of words.
“When his mother came to pick him up,” Stephanie says,
I explained my concerns to her, and persuaded her to take him to
a pediatrician I worked with in the mornings. The next day I went
with her. As we waited at the hospital, I tried going though the
alphabet with Noel. I was surprised by how many sounds he could
make when encouraged, but some sounds such as the ‘s’,
came out wrong. When the doctor examined him, he found that Noel’s
tongue needed to be clipped, because it was inhibiting his speech.
Next time I saw Noel at the day-care center, I asked him if he had
the surgery yet. He squeezed my legs, looked up at me, and said
‘Sí,’ making the ‘s’ sound he couldn’t
previously pronounce. It was amazing that all it took was a day
of my time and now a little boy in Honduras is speaking.”
Stephanie’s desire to help others is natural to her,
according to her father Scott (himself a pediatrician). “She
has always been compassionate, thinking of others before herself.
Most kids went to Florida for spring break, but she ends up working
with Habitat for Humanity or something like that.”
When Stephanie moved to Ann Arbor, she noticed a request in the
St. Mary Student Parish bulletin for help in the Hispanic-Latino
ministry. “They needed teachers for the bilingual sacramental
preparation program,” she recalls. “I had four years
of Spanish in high school, so I joined up. I like to be where I
feel needed, and they needed me.
“I taught the second- through sixth-graders for three
years, then became coordinator of the program for those grades in
2005. Now I handle registration, lesson planning, and catechist
training. In the fall of 2006, I helped start a pre-confirmation
class for middle-school students, kind of like a catch-up class.
Many of these kids never had religious education because they moved
frequently or couldn’t find a program in their language. Parents
meet at the same time as the children, and study the same material
at an adult level. The parents’ class has been vital in building
community among the Latino families in our parish.
Stephanie also recruits catechists for the student-run program.
Stephanie says that “The universality of the Catholic Church
– that every day, in nearly every corner of the world, Catholics
gather to celebrate Mass – is a motivator for me. The languages
may differ, but the words are the same. I can’t describe the
joy of introducing these children to the love of Jesus and the welcoming
arms of their church family.
“To the families in our program, God and faith are
real. The church is important to them. The church makes people better.
I like to tell the kids over and over in the sessions on reconciliation,
‘God loves you. God forgives you.’ Jesus is our model.
He was a teacher and healer; that’s what I am trying to be.”
Thicker
than water
These brothers jame for Jesus
By Todd Schulz | Photography by Amie Gilmore
Schmit
The Schmit boys always have been a band of brothers.
But the four brothers – Joe, Andrew, Daniel and David –
didn’t truly become a band until they discovered the baby
of the bunch could sing.
After tinkering together with music for
most of their lives, the brothers decided to record a CD of their
favorite worship songs as a present to their parents. Little did
they know God had a gift for them, as well.
Though they each took turns singing on the raw recording, one voice
was consistently and clearly superior. It belonged to Daniel Schmit,
who is the youngest of the Catholic family’s seven siblings.
“When we listened back to it, we were like, ‘Wow,
I don’t think the rest of us should sing any more,’”
said Joe Schmit, who plays guitar and piano and writes most of the
group’s songs. “That’s what made the band take
off. It’s been a blast.”
And an unexpected blessing for brothers who jammed in garage bands,
led worship at youth ministry Masses and dreamed of playing music
together for a living.
That seemed like a long shot as adult life brought day jobs, families
and responsibilities. But in a whirlwind of opportunity that started
less than two years ago, Thicker Than Water was formed by linking
Joe and Daniel (who also plays piano) with brothers Andrew and David,
both of whom play drums and bass. The foursome landed a deal with
Canton-based Mediatrix Records and recently released its debut CD,
Canyon.
Even the Schmits remain awed by the spotlight God has granted them.
“Where we are now, I couldn’t have imagined,”
Andrew says. “I hoped we could do something musically like
this. But I never thought it would happen.”
The Schmit brothers grew up in Flushing in a home filled
with faith and music. Their father, Peter, plays piano and guitar
and is the former music director at St. Joseph Parish in Howell.
Their mother, Joan, plays piano and accordion. As a result, it seemed
there was always an instrument around for their seven children to
pound, pick or pluck. All the siblings learned to play the piano
and the family often played and sang together.
“They always kept music a part of the home,” Joe says.
Over the years, the Schmits played in different combinations at
home, with buddies in bands and at Mount Zion in Flushing. Even
as the family fanned out to colleges and jobs, music helped the
brothers maintain a strong bond.
“We were kicking around some ideas of what we could do with
our music,” says Andrew, who teaches and coaches at Flint
Powers High School. “We thought we might be able to play at
some churches, maybe lead some youth Masses.”
Eventually, the four future members of Thicker Than Water made an
album to thank and honor their parents for bringing music into their
lives. The record was raw. But it revealed Daniel’s potential
as a singer and stirred possibilities of what the brothers might
accomplish together.
About the same time, Andrew got a call from Mark Cabrera,
the owner of Mediatrix, a fledgling Catholic record label that was
searching for studio musicians. Instead, Andrew suggested he and
his brothers as a potential headline act. After a successful audition,
they signed with Cabrera in May 2007 and Thicker Than Water was
born. The name, of course, is a dual reference to their shared blood
as brothers and the redemptive blood of Christ.
“We didn’t really have a game plan when this started,”
says Joe, a product manager for an insurance company who lives in
Holt. “God got it this far, which is a lot further than we
thought.”
Thicker Than Water made Canyon over the course of a year, squeezing
two or three Saturday recording sessions per month into their family
and work schedules. The sound was inspired by rockers such as U2,
Coldplay and the Red Hot Chili Peppers – and Christian artists
such as The Newsboys.
Joe was the creative force behind Canyon, penning the lyrics and
nearly all the music.
“In general, the songs come out of my life experiences,”
Joe says. “I don’t know that I’m always looking
to write a religious song, but they all have that focus just based
on my beliefs as a Catholic Christian. A lot of the songs are about
giving God control and maybe some of the struggles people have as
Christians. I just find a good tune, a subject comes up and I kind
of go with it.”
But all the brothers had a hand in shaping a debut packed with imagery,
emotion and, most important, a strong message about faith.
“Because we were raised with a strong faith background,
it flows naturally out of the way we write,” Andrew says.
“The songs talk about our relationship with God, our experience
daily and how prayer shapes us and forms us to make us who we are.”
Playing together was the fun part. The brothers say their natural
chemistry allowed for both brutal honesty and patience while working
through tunes in the studio.
“It comes easy,” says Andrew. “When we’re
playing, we can give each other a look and we know what the other
is thinking. It’s an interesting mix, an interesting bond,
and it does help our music.”
Thicker Than Water played its first live concert in May at St. Pius
X in Flint. About 250 people listened to a set list that featured
the entire Canyon album and a cover of a Newsboys’ song.
“The butterflies were there,” Andrew says with a chuckle.
“We prayed and just gave it all to God. We got some good feedback.
People were pleasantly surprised with the sound and the music. We
definitely want to improve.”
They have plenty of opportunities, with shows planned in
Ontario, Livonia and Flint and more dates anticipated after the
release of Canyon.
Joe says, “If the CD opens the door to playing bigger places
and spreading His word, than we’re happy with that.”
None of the brothers is planning to quit his full-time job –
yet. But they’ve already come further than they envisioned,
quicker than they imagined. Thicker Than Water is poised and ready
for God’s next number.
“We’re open to anything,” Andrew says. “If
it gets big, God bless it. If it fizzles, God bless it for the opportunity
we had the last two years. We’re trying to do this for God.
We hope it’s going somewhere where we can make an impact and
inspire people just as we’ve been inspired. It’s exciting.”
For more information on the band, visit www.thickerthanwatermusic.com
voters guide
– election 2008
Why Dave Doyle opposes embryonic stem-cell research
By Kevin Duffy | Photography
by Tom Gennara
Dave Doyle woke up one spring morning in 1998 at a Boy Scout
camp-out. But something was different this morning. Dave’s
leg was numb. Not thinking much of it, Dave brushed it off as having
slept wrong the night before. But as similar symptoms continued,
Dave decided to see a doctor, which led him to see another doctor,
and another. After picking up the results of his MRI, Dave sat in
his car and pondered the contents of the envelope. Finally, he decided
to look. “It felt like I had been punched in the stomach.”
Dave had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) a debilitating
disease that is estimated to affect more than two million people
worldwide.
“My faith has been important in this,” says Dave, whose
fight with MS has forced him to rely on a cane, crutches and, finally,
a wheelchair. “My faith has always been strong and that certainly
helped me deal with it.” Dave also credits the support of
his family with helping him through the tough times. And while his
struggles are certain to occasionally take their toll, Dave has
an incredible outlook, “There are a lot worse things that
can happen to you. I’ve been very lucky.”
Ten years after being diagnosed, Dave serves as the spokesperson
for MiCAUSE, which stands for Michigan Citizens Against Unrestricted
Science and Experimentation. MiCAUSE is the ballot question committee
that stands in opposition to Proposal 2, which will appear on Michigan’s
November ballot. If passed, it would lift restrictions on the use
of live human embryos in research.
What many Michiganians may not realize is that the use of embryonic
stem cells is not illegal in Michigan. In fact, stem-cell research
has been in practice at one of Michigan’s highest profile
public universities for years. The University of Michigan’s
Center for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research opened in 2003 and
was initially funded with federal tax dollars from the National
Institute of Health.
The biggest problem with this proposal, says Dave, is that it involves
the killing of live human embryos in order to extract stem cells.
“It’s the beginning of life and the ending of life.”
Dave says that the campaign being run by Cure Michigan, the group
supporting Proposal 2, is extremely deceptive. The deception begins
with the wording of the proposed constitutional amendment. “If
the law were to change tomorrow to allow human cloning, human cloning
would be allowed under this proposal,” Dave explained. “This
proposal doesn’t legalize cloning, but it would allow the
law to change.”
A law was passed in 1998 that prohibits human cloning in
Michigan. But if Proposal 2 passes and the state constitution is
amended, legislation such as 2007’s Senate Bill 52 would pave
the way to allowing human cloning to commence in Michigan.
Another major issue with the proposal, according to Dave, is that
it removes Michigan lawmakers’ ability to oversee the regulation
of the industry. “The Michigan Legislature would never be
able to pass a law that in any way restricts or regulates that research
in Michigan,” explained Dave. “It would be the only
sector of society that would be completely beyond the reach of the
legislature and the governor. “
It should come as no surprise that many members of the Michigan
House and Senate are not on board with a proposal that bypasses
the legislative process. High-profile opponents of Proposal 2 include
Democratic Speaker of the House Andy Dillon and Republican Senate
Majority Leader Mike Bishop. State Sen. Tom George serves as the
co-chairman of MiCAUSE. In a recent meeting with members of the
press, Sen. George used the analogy of standing at the advent of
the Internet and having a constitutional amendment proposal that
would leave cyberspace wide open without any restrictions. We know
today that with the various hazards of the Internet, including pervasive
pornography and lurking sexual predators, state and federal regulations
are essential.
The specific language of Proposal 2 states that “any research
permitted under federal law on human embryos may be conducted in
Michigan, subject to the requirements of federal law.” There’s
only one problem. “There are no federal laws dealing with
human embryo research,” says Dave.
A point of contention between the two sides of the stem-cell
issue is that there are many options beyond the use of live human
embryos when it comes to stem-cell research. No treatments or cures
have been found using embryonic stem cells, while more than 70 treatments
and cures have been found using adult stem cells. So why is there
so much pressure from the scientific community to pass legislation
that would allow the use of live human embryos in stem-cell research?
It is essentially a guessing game, says Dave. “It’s
a maybe. The other side says ‘Yeah, it’s possible and
we should do all research.’”
Other states have encountered high-profile fights to legalize the
use of live human embryos. Most recently, Missouri caught the nation’s
attention in 2006 when politicians and celebrities on both sides
of the issue waged rhetorical war. The result was the passing of
new legislation the allowed researchers and scientists to kill live
human embryos in order to extract stem cells. Missouri residents
are anxiously awaiting a judge’s ruling on whether to allow
more than $20 million in taxpayer funds to be used in live human
embryo research.
When it comes to using taxpayer dollars to fund embryonic stem-cell
research, California leads the way. Californians are paying $3 billion
over a 10-year span to fund the controversial field.
Dave believes that if Proposal 2 is successful, it is only
a matter of time before Michigan taxpayers are footing the bill
for live human embryo research. “This proposal doesn’t
deal with funding, but would leave open the ability to do funding
in the future,” said Dave. “Clearly, what they want
to do is use taxpayer funding here in Michigan.”
When asked whether a cure for his MS discovered using live human
embryo research would change his perspective, Dave was adamant that
it would not. “And there are too many loopholes and potential
dangers that the legislature would not be able to fix. If there
were any abuses five or 10 years down the line, they could not be
stopped.”
What are the real facts about
stem-cell research? Some questions and answers
We asked Dr. David Thorrez, board-certified pediatrician
and member of the Lansing Guild of the Catholic Medical Association,
to give us some information about stem-cell research.
What is a stem cell? A stem cell is a cell that is not completely
specialized to act as a specific type of cell in an organ or tissue.
We keep hearing that there are different kinds of stem cells; what
are they? There are four main types of stem cells used in medical
research. Adult stem cells are just that: cells extracted from adult
humans. Umbilical stem cells are extracted from the umbilical cord
or placenta of a newborn baby. Induced pluripotent stem cells are
genetically altered adult stem cells that mimic embryonic stem cells.
Embryonic stem cells are extracted from human embryos.
What kinds of medical advances and treatments have been developed
using stem cells? While numerous treatments have been developed
as a result of research using adult and umbilical stem cells, no
treatments have been developed using either induced pluripotent
or embryonic stem cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells and embryonic
stem cells may have this potential, but are thought to be 10 to
20 years away from treating sick patients.
Where is the “cutting edge” research going?
Of the two newest fields of stem cells research, induced pluripotent
stem cells show the most potential for aiding in research. Induced
pluripotent stem cells are adult cells, such as skin cells, that
are injected with four specific genes that alter the cell. The result
is a stem cell that is identical to an embryonic stem cell. This
means we no longer need to use and kill human embryos to do the
research.
Is embryonic stem-cell research making any progress? No. In fact,
embryonic stem cells often develop tumors or are rejected outright
by the body’s immune system during research.
Dr. Thorrez is one of a number of medical professionals who believe
the use of live human embryos in research crosses a moral line.
Dr. James Thompson, widely considered a pioneer of embryonic stem
cell research, has said he plans to focus the majority of his resources
on induced pluripotent stem cells in order to avoid the moral dilemma,
but also because he believes pluripotent stem cells are the most
viable option.
Likewise, Ian Wilmut, the British doctor who in 1996 made
worldwide headlines by cloning a sheep named Dolly, has abandoned
cloning research in favor of induced pluripotent stem cell research.
Dr. Thorrez says he and his Catholic Medical Association colleagues
were proud that the bishops of Michigan began educating the laity
even before the human embryo research issue was placed on the ballot.
“All human embryos are part of the human family, they are
just at an earlier stage,” says Dr. Thorrez. “We were
all once embryos.”
Here are some diseases
being successfully treated by adult stem cells:
1. Brain cancer
2. Retinoblastoma
3. Ovarian cancer
4. Skin cancer: Merkel cell carcinoma
5. Testicular cancer
6. Tumors of abdominal organs
7. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
8. Hodgkin’s lymphoma
9. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
10. Acute myelogenous leukemia
11. Chronic myelogenous leukemia
12. Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia
13. Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia
14. Cancer of the lymph nodes: angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy
15. Multiple myeloma
16. Myelodysplasia
17. Breast cancer
18. Neuroblastoma
19. Renal cell carcinoma
20. Various solid tumors
21. Soft tissue sarcoma
22. Ewing’s sarcoma
23. Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia
24. Acute heart damage
25. POEMS syndrome
There are currently NO diseases being successfully treated by embryonic
stem cells.
How shall I cast my vote? A letter from Bishop Boyea
By Bishop Boyea
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
his pro-life month of October is a good time for me to offer the
following reflections. To be a bishop is to be a teacher, offering
principles to help Catholics form their consciences as they fulfill
their duty as citizens to vote. The following guidelines are intended
for educational purposes only. This is not intended to endorse or
oppose any particular candidate or political party, though it does
oppose Proposal 2, the destructive constitutional amendment allowing
unlimited research on live human embryos, which appears on this
fall’s ballot. It is my hope that these principles will show
how human reason and our Catholic faith shape our thinking, choosing
and acting in daily life.
THE DUTY TO VOTE
• Catholics have the same rights and duties as other citizens,
but are called to carry them out not according to worldly standards,
but in the light of the truth of faith and human reason.
• In a democratic society, citizens vote on proposals and
elect candidates for the common good. These choices can significantly
affect many lives, especially the lives of the most vulnerable persons
in society, such as young human embryos, children in the womb and
those who are terminally ill. Therefore, Catholic citizens have
a serious moral obligation to exercise their right to vote. What
is more, we have a duty to vote guided by a well-formed conscience.
FORMATION OF CONSCIENCE
• Conscience is the means by which we discern the law “written”
by God on our hearts that disposes us to love and to do good and
avoid evil (cf. Romans 2:12-16). We have a serious duty to follow
our consciences. To act against the judgment of conscience when
it is certain about what is good and evil has the same seriousness
as disobeying God. However, it is important to remember that it
is possible for our conscience to be wrongly formed regarding what
is good and evil.
• For this reason, we have an equally serious duty to form
or teach our consciences properly so that we can judge what is good
and evil accurately. We are obliged to seek the truth and then to
abide by it. Catholics receive direction in this life-long process
from the teachings of the church on matters pertaining to faith
and morals. We rely on the help of the Holy Spirit to apply these
teachings to particular issues.
AREAS OF PRUDENTIAL JUDGMENT
• In some moral matters, the use of reason allows for legitimate
diversity in our individual prudential judgments. Within certain
parameters, Catholic voters may differ, for example, on what constitutes
the best immigration or health care or housing policies. Catholics
may even have differing judgments on the decision to wage a just
war. Therefore, because these prudential judgments do not involve
the direct choice of something evil and take into consideration
various goods, it is possible for Catholic voters to arrive at different,
even opposing, views.
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
• Notwithstanding a possible diversity of prudential judgments,
each of us should guide our decision making on all issues with a
fundamental respect for the dignity of every human being from the
moment of conception to natural death. This is a non-negotiable
principle. It is the foundation for a just society and of Catholic
social teaching. Respect for human dignity is the basis for the
fundamental right to life. It is also the basis for all those things
needed to live with dignity – for example, work, fair wages,
food, shelter, education, health care, security and migration. But
these other basic human needs lose all meaning and purpose if the
fundamental right to life – the right to exist – is
denied. Because of respect for the dignity of the human person,
Catholics are obliged to come to the aid and defense of the defenseless,
especially the poor. Another guiding principle is the defense and
promotion of marriage as the lifelong bond between one man and one
woman for the building up of family life.
SOME THINGS ARE ALWAYS EVIL
• A correct conscience recognizes that there are some choices
that always involve doing evil and that can never be done even as
a means to achieve a good end. These choices include elective abortion,
euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, destruction of young human
embryos, human cloning and same-sex “marriage.” Such
acts are judged to be intrinsically evil; that is, evil in and of
themselves, regardless of the motives of those who promote these
ideas. They constitute an attack against innocent human life, as
well as against the very nature of marriage and family.
• Other examples of choices that always involve doing evil
would be racial discrimination and the production and use of pornography.
These actions offend the fundamental dignity of the human person.
• Concerning choices that are intrinsically evil, no one with
a well-formed conscience, especially a Catholic, may promote or
even remain indifferent to them.
HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELL PROPOSAL
• Currently, successful scientific research is being done
on adult stem cells, which the church supports and encourages because
this scientific work does not involve the killing of young humans
in the embryonic stage. However, on the ballot this fall in Michigan,
Proposal 2 would encourage the killing of human embryos. Even if
a great good, such as the cure of diseases, could be achieved by
this process, the good end or goal never justifies a deliberate
attack on innocent human life. In addition, this proposal is too
open-ended. The last clause reads: “Prohibits state and local
laws that prevent, restrict, or discourage stem cell research, future
therapies, or cures.” It is unimaginable to put into our state
constitution a ban on the ability of the legislature or local governments
to place any controls on this or any other industry. Proposal 2
goes too far. It could allow researchers to do all kinds of experiments
on embryos and on genes. No one, with a well-formed conscience,
can vote for such a proposal. We simply must find other ways, such
as adult stem-cell research, to reach these good goals.
VOTING FOR CANDIDATES
• In light of the above, we would commit moral evil if we
were to vote for a candidate who takes a permissive stand on those
actions that are intrinsically evil when there is a morally acceptable
alternative. What are we to do, though, when there is no such alternative?
• Because we have a moral obligation to vote, deciding not
to vote at all is not ordinarily an acceptable solution to this
dilemma. So, when there is no choice of a candidate that avoids
supporting intrinsically evil actions, especially elective abortion
or embryonic stem-cell research, we should vote in such a way as
to allow the least harm to innocent human life and dignity. We would
not be acting immorally, therefore, if we were to vote for a candidate
whose positions on these issues are not totally acceptable in order
to defeat one who poses an even greater threat to human life and
dignity.
VOTING IS A MORAL ACT
• Our duty is to vote in keeping with a conscience properly
formed by fundamental moral principles. As your bishop, I am not
telling you to vote for or against any candidate. Rather, I wish
to assist in the forming of correct consciences and to invite a
consideration of the issues in the light of these fundamental moral
principles. In this month of October, may Our Lady of the Holy Rosary
guide us to fulfill our duty in good conscience.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
+ Earl Boyea
Bishop of Lansing
How should I vote?
– Michigan Catholic Conference
As we approach the election on Nov. 4, we turn to the bishops
of the Michigan Catholic Conference for some guidelines to help
us make these important decisions at the ballot box.
Most Americans are familiar with the term “separation of church
and state,” a watchdog phrase that is commonly employed in
the call for the parting of religion and faith from policy matters.
From a historical perspective, the term may be traced, in part,
to President Thomas Jefferson, who, in 1802, spoke of a “wall
of separation.” The United States Constitution speaks to this
important issue through two clauses within the First Amendment:
• the Establishment Clause, which prohibits government from
creating a national religion; and
• the Free Exercise Clause, which protects freedom of religion.
 The
phrase “separation of church and state,” however, does
not formally exist in any document that gave birth to our nation
and its laws.
Yet frequently lost in the “separation” rhetoric is
each citizen’s moral obligation to participate in the democratic
process, regardless of his or her religious belief. The Catholic
Church, which views the wedding of church and state as a suppression
of religious freedom and other inalienable human rights, calls for
the faithful to participate in the democratic process by bringing
their moral and social message to the public debate. This concept
may be described as “Faithful Citizenship.” Casting
ballots, joining political parties, contacting legislators, organizing
get-out-the-vote efforts and participating in community forums are
just a few examples of how one may blend their faith with politics.
The United States is a pluralistic nation. Our society is enhanced
and flourishes because of the right of minority groups and those
of differing viewpoints to bring forth their perspectives on important
social issues of the day.
The church does not seek to tell, nor does she have an interest
in telling, Catholics which candidate to vote for or against. The
church does have the responsibility of informing the consciences
of Catholics in accordance with God’s truth. It is within
this formation of conscience that the individual Catholic voter
must open himself or herself to the teachings of the church and
to bring moral truths to the public square. For example, a well-formed
conscience does not accept the intentional destruction of human
life or racism as acceptable public policy. These are not principles
held exclusively by Catholics; rather, they are principles based
in moral and natural law that all faiths and people of goodwill
can agree upon. Christians believe that Jesus’ commandment
to love one’s neighbor extends beyond individual relationships
to all human relations, from the family to the entire community.
The church joins the public debate to share its experiences in serving
the powerless and to add its values to the political dialogue. This
kind of participation does not involve religious tests for candidates.
Rather, it seeks to lift up the moral dimensions of public issues.
It encourages Catholics, as believers and citizens, to use the resources
of our faith in building a society that is more respectful of life
and human dignity and more cognizant of the Christian obligation
to seek peace and justice.
– Michigan Catholic Conference
What do I need to think
about before I vote?
What are the issues we must consider when casting our vote? From
education to economic justice, to the protection of human life and
the promotion of the dignity of every individual, the church speaks
to a breadth of issues that are of concern to the people of Michigan.
These issues may be addressed in six categories: religious freedom,
human life, children and families, health care, education and economic
justice and regulatory policy. Not all issues carry equal weight
— the destruction of human life through abortion, embryo destructive
research or euthanasia is never acceptable, for example —
but all are necessary to advance the common good and moral fiber
of the state and the country.
1 Religious freedom: Freedom of conscience and
of religion is a primary and inalienable right of the human person.
Insofar as it touches the innermost sphere of the spirit, one can
even say that it upholds the justification, deeply rooted in each
individual, of all other liberties.
2 Human life: Human life must be respected and
protected from the moment of conception until natural death. From
the first moment of existence, a human being must be identified
as a unified individual endowed with human nature and as such is
the proper bearer of fundamental human rights. Every life is sacred
because the person has been willed for its own sake in the image
and likeness of God.
3 Children and families: Children are among the
most vulnerable members of the human family. As policies are advanced
to help children, they must support families, since children’s
lives are nurtured or neglected, enhanced or diminished, by the
quality of family life. Since the family is the primary, indispensable
and essential unit of society, policies must maintain and promote
marriage and strengthen the family.
4 Health care: Equitable, accessible and ethical
health care is an essential safeguard of human life. Health care
is a basic human right; genuine health-care reform, recognizing
the dignity of persons and the unique needs of the poor, is a matter
of fundamental justice.
5 Education: All children, by virtue of their dignity
as human beings, have an inalienable right to a quality education.
Parents have the right to choose how that education is provided.
Any effort to improve schools must include a commitment to educational
choice.
6 Economic justice and regulatory policies: Of
key concern is ensuring economic policies are shaped by moral principles.
Economic choices and regulatory policies must be judged by how they
protect or undermine the life and dignity of the human person, support
the family, care for God’s creation and serve the common good.
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