John Whitehead's Commentary
In Fetal Tissue Research, A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
"The Fetal Tissue Research Act" appeared to be the first attempt by a state legislature to ban medical research on aborted children in the country. But the Nebraska bill, recently introduced by state Senator John A. Hilger, ran into a stone wall of defiance. "While I'm here, I'll be more solid than the Rock of Gibraltar," said fellow Senator Ernie Chambers. "That bill will never pass."
Senator Chambers was almost single-handedly responsible for killing the legislation. While the Act survived extensive committee hearings, Chambers' threat to filibuster and bring legislative activity to a standstill ensured that fetal research at the University of Nebraska continues unabated.
The Nebraska story is just the latest in the continuing saga of fetal tissue research. Last month, Congress directed the FBI to investigate reports that abortion clinics were selling fetal body parts for profit. ABC's 20/20 ran an investigative report highlighting such activity, and--for a brief moment--the plight of aborted children demanded the nation's attention.
But even though the flash of publicity has faded, the issue remains the most important on our nation's moral agenda. Anyone who doubts this truth need only visit the website www.ashevilletribune.com/consentpage.htm. This online paper has done a thorough investigation of the fetal tissue debate, complete with perspectives from all sides.
More importantly, the investigation embodies the old adage that "a picture is worth a thousand words." But be forewarned: the photographs taken by the Asheville Tribune are not for the squeamish. They are reminiscent of the most gruesome images of the Holocaust, and the simple fact of their publication is one of the more heroic acts in modern journalism.
These images drive home the gruesome truth about fetal tissue research. They depict tiny torsos with the arms cut off at the shoulders. They show bodies with gigantic wounds in the back where organs have been removed. They reveal babies stuffed awkwardly into paint buckets. And the most sickening photo shows a tiny decapitated head held by surgical tongs.
It is simply impossible for any reasonable human being to view these photographs and not agree that our country is fostering a grave and horrible tragedy by allowing such procedures to continue. The babies depicted are clearly human beings. Any suggestion to the contrary is ludicrous.
Of course, the medical lobby responds that important research on fatal diseases such as Parkinson's are impossible without fetal tissue. Some, however, respond that such research hasn't been proven effective.
But whether the research is effective is completely beside the point. Even if fetal tissue research were the single most effective avenue to curing fatal diseases, it would still be horribly wrong.
I'm reminded of the popular hypothetical involving five people stranded in a lifeboat. If one of those people were an infant, would the other four be justified in killing the child and eating it in order to stay alive? Of course not. There probably isn't a single ethicist in the country who would seriously suggest otherwise.
But the arguments for fetal tissue research follow the same warped moral path. The truth is that fetal tissue is essentially a clever euphemism for cannibalism. Our society is feeding off of the defenseless among us in order to improve the quality and length of our own lives. And there is only one word to describe this kind of behavior: evil.
A notable defender of the rights of unborn children, syndicated columnist Nat Hentoff, once suggested that "euphemism kills." And that's exactly what is happening today with fetal tissue "research." Dressed up in the rhetoric of medical progress, chopping babies into pieces and selling off the parts--whether for profit or not--is much more palatable to an ambivalent public.
It has been said of obscenity, "I know it when I see it." That saying holds true in this case--anyone who sees the pictures of these violated children knows it is a terrible evil.
Senator Chambers and those of his persuasion should peruse the photographs at www.ashevilletribune.com/consentpage.htm. And, if they still choose to stand like the Rock of Gibraltar in the way of legislation banning fetal tissue research, God help them.
Senator Chambers was almost single-handedly responsible for killing the legislation. While the Act survived extensive committee hearings, Chambers' threat to filibuster and bring legislative activity to a standstill ensured that fetal research at the University of Nebraska continues unabated.
The Nebraska story is just the latest in the continuing saga of fetal tissue research. Last month, Congress directed the FBI to investigate reports that abortion clinics were selling fetal body parts for profit. ABC's 20/20 ran an investigative report highlighting such activity, and--for a brief moment--the plight of aborted children demanded the nation's attention.
But even though the flash of publicity has faded, the issue remains the most important on our nation's moral agenda. Anyone who doubts this truth need only visit the website www.ashevilletribune.com/consentpage.htm. This online paper has done a thorough investigation of the fetal tissue debate, complete with perspectives from all sides.
More importantly, the investigation embodies the old adage that "a picture is worth a thousand words." But be forewarned: the photographs taken by the Asheville Tribune are not for the squeamish. They are reminiscent of the most gruesome images of the Holocaust, and the simple fact of their publication is one of the more heroic acts in modern journalism.
These images drive home the gruesome truth about fetal tissue research. They depict tiny torsos with the arms cut off at the shoulders. They show bodies with gigantic wounds in the back where organs have been removed. They reveal babies stuffed awkwardly into paint buckets. And the most sickening photo shows a tiny decapitated head held by surgical tongs.
It is simply impossible for any reasonable human being to view these photographs and not agree that our country is fostering a grave and horrible tragedy by allowing such procedures to continue. The babies depicted are clearly human beings. Any suggestion to the contrary is ludicrous.
Of course, the medical lobby responds that important research on fatal diseases such as Parkinson's are impossible without fetal tissue. Some, however, respond that such research hasn't been proven effective.
But whether the research is effective is completely beside the point. Even if fetal tissue research were the single most effective avenue to curing fatal diseases, it would still be horribly wrong.
I'm reminded of the popular hypothetical involving five people stranded in a lifeboat. If one of those people were an infant, would the other four be justified in killing the child and eating it in order to stay alive? Of course not. There probably isn't a single ethicist in the country who would seriously suggest otherwise.
But the arguments for fetal tissue research follow the same warped moral path. The truth is that fetal tissue is essentially a clever euphemism for cannibalism. Our society is feeding off of the defenseless among us in order to improve the quality and length of our own lives. And there is only one word to describe this kind of behavior: evil.
A notable defender of the rights of unborn children, syndicated columnist Nat Hentoff, once suggested that "euphemism kills." And that's exactly what is happening today with fetal tissue "research." Dressed up in the rhetoric of medical progress, chopping babies into pieces and selling off the parts--whether for profit or not--is much more palatable to an ambivalent public.
It has been said of obscenity, "I know it when I see it." That saying holds true in this case--anyone who sees the pictures of these violated children knows it is a terrible evil.
Senator Chambers and those of his persuasion should peruse the photographs at www.ashevilletribune.com/consentpage.htm. And, if they still choose to stand like the Rock of Gibraltar in the way of legislation banning fetal tissue research, God help them.
ABOUT JOHN W. WHITEHEAD
Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. His most recent books are the best-selling Battlefield America: The War on the American People, the award-winning A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State, and a debut dystopian fiction novel, The Erik Blair Diaries. Whitehead can be contacted at staff@rutherford.org. Nisha Whitehead is the Executive Director of The Rutherford Institute. Information about The Rutherford Institute is available at www.rutherford.org.
Publication Guidelines / Reprint Permission
John W. Whitehead’s weekly commentaries are available for publication to newspapers and web publications at no charge. Please contact staff@rutherford.org to obtain reprint permission.
