Tone Deaf
The poor dears, full of enthusiasm for the Constitution and the work Dr. King had done to see that all Americans benefited from its protection, just did not seem to get it when most of Seattle (and in particular, Seattle's African-American community) failed to warm to the idea of rallying for the glory of gun ownership on the day set apart by our country to remember a great man who was murdered by a sniper. It was, shall we say, infelicitous.
Misusing Reagan's Name
Now, we are living in the moment of the death of another great American: Ronald Reagan. Reagan is rightly honored for many great achievements, including his major role in the consignment of European communism to the ash heap of history, his renewal of American confidence after the “malaise” of the '70s, and his clear-thinking and clear-speaking approach to issues of human freedom and, in particular, the value of each individual human life. More than any other president, Reagan articulated a conviction in the “unalienable personhood of every American, from the moment of conception until natural death” and vowed “that I will take care that the Constitution and laws of the United States are faithfully executed for the protection of America's unborn children.” Reagan, the author of Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation, was profoundly committed to the sanctity of human life.
And yet, before Reagan's body was in the grave, powerful forces were capitalizing upon his death from Alzheimer's Disease to urge that we use stem cells — derived from fetuses grown specifically for the purpose of killing and harvesting their tissues — in the hope that some cure for this and other debilitating illnesses may be found. We are, in effect, being asked to endorse the killing and cannibalization of the unborn “for Reagan's sake.” It is as tone-deaf a plea as the cry for gun rights at a Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial service.
People Before Profits
And it is not medically necessary. Stem cells have other sources besides artificially-created fetuses. For instance, they can be harvested from umbilical cord blood without taking innocent life. Those who push for stem cells which involve the taking of innocent human life do so not because of some sort of medical necessity, but because there is gold in them thar hills to be had from the creation of an immense, wealth-generating industry dedicated to the manufacture and destruction of innocent human life for profit. It is ironic that those most critical of Reagan and his “Decade of Greed” are those most staunchly in favor of the creation of a system that is entirely (and needlessly) about the exploitation of innocent human life for the sake of Mammon.
I Know What It's Like
It will doubtless be replied that those who do not rush to affirm this grotesque exploitation of President Reagan's death in wholesale betrayal of a truth he held dear are “heartless” and that if we only knew what he and his family had endured for the past ten years we would not be so critical. As a matter of fact, I do know what the Reagans have endured. I do not speak as somebody disengaged from the tragedy of Alzheimer's Disease. My mother-in-law is in the final stages of Alzheimer's. We also have had to watch her go far away to a place where we can no longer reach her. We've also had to struggle with the terrible suffering Dad has endured in the struggle to care for “Mamma Bear.” We're acutely aware of what a hardship it is for both victim and family alike. But, as Reagan taught us, when the voice of Moloch whispers “Sacrifice your children and for you it will be well” then that voice must be resisted. And nobody would say that more vigorously than my lioness of a mother-in-law — were she still able to speak. Except, of course, Ronald Reagan.
Mark Shea is Senior Content Editor for Catholic Exchange. You may visit his website at www.mark-shea.com check out his blog, Catholic and Enjoying It!, or purchase his books and tapes here.
