Lansing, Mich., Oct 30, 2008 / 01:35 am
Bishop of Lansing Earl Boyea has rebuked Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s Sunday endorsement of a ballot proposal which would remove many restrictions on destructive human embryo research. He described as “shocking” her mention of her Catholic faith to justify her endorsement.
Speaking at a political rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Granholm endorsed Proposal 2, which would loosen restrictions on embryonic stem cell research and allow surplus embryos from state fertility clinics to be destroyed for research purposes.
"As a Catholic, I can say to be pro-cure is to be pro-life," she said, according to The Grand Rapids Press.
In a Monday statement Bishop Boyea responded to the governor’s comments.
“Of course, Catholics and all other responsible citizens will continue to seek cures for disease and injury,” he wrote. “But to imply that Proposal 2 is a valid expression of Catholic principles is shocking. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
The bishop explained that Proposal 2 would give an “unlimited license” to those who perform destructive experiments on human embryos.
“While the Catholic Church strongly supports legitimate forms of stem cell research and all other proper forms of scientific inquiry, the Church also teaches that is it is always immoral to destroy a human embryo. For that reason, the Catholic Bishops of Michigan have taken a strong position in opposition to this well-funded assault on human life.”
“The Truth will never go unspoken,” he continued.
“To be in favor of Proposal 2 is not to be pro-life. A well-formed Catholic conscience would never lead a person to support Proposal 2 ‘as a Catholic’.”
All of the Catholic bishops of Michigan have voiced opposition to the proposal.
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