Yesterday the federal district court in DC ruled that the Obama administration policy of funding research that kills the embryo-child must be halted because plaintiffs stand a good chance of proving it violates the law. Here is what Deacon Keith Fournier has written about the decision at Catholic Online:
In a significant opinion issued by Chief Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia human embryonic life was given a stay of execution on Monday, August 23, 2010. The Federal Court enjoined the implementation of the Obama Administration guidelines which would have allowed researchers to extract stem cells from “surplus” embryos donated by patients at fertility clinics. This “extraction” amounts to an execution of human embryonic life. These guidelines went into effect in July, 2009.
…In the Courts own words “having concluded that the Dickey-Wicker Amendment is unambiguous, the question before the Court is whether ESC (Embryonic Stem Cell Research) is research in which a human embryo is destroyed. The Court concludes that it is.”
…The efforts of this administration to use human embryonic life for deadly experimentation, in spite of the medical science which has proven that Adult Stem Cell Research, (which never injures or kills) is far more promising, is not only bad science but it is also morally reprehensible. On Monday, March 9, 2009, President Barrack Obama turned a whole class of human persons into commodities to be used by issuing an Executive Order. The NIH Guidelines which followed treat human embryos as property, capable of being “manufactured” and used as spare parts in experimentation which has produced no discernible scientific results and always kills the human embryonic person.
…..Every “extraction” of embryonic stem cells kills a living human embryonic person. This is not simply a “religious” position, it is medical science and the Judge in this opinion acknowledged these scientific facts. This opinion provides a resource for our work in the great human rights struggle of our age, restoring the legal recognition of the fundamental human right to life for all persons from conception to natural death. Read whole story at www.catholic.org

It seems that in every election year Christians agonize over the extent of their responsibilities as a citizen with a vote. The issues are often so divisive, sometimes incomprehensible, and other times we can see both sides and are stymied. Campaigns can be confusing, exasperating, excruciating.

Welcome to Election season! Wouldn’t it be great if God would just tell us who to vote for?

As we prepare for the coming season of awesome responsibility – choosing our representqtives who will be principally responsible for our national and local public policies – some of which involve the most important moral issues of our time – I’m going to write a series of blogs on how Christians vote. Today I’m writing on The responsibility of choosing the right leader:

Wouldn’t it be great if God would just tell us who to vote for?

We’re inclined to see the bible unhelpful, since in ancient times the people didn’t vote – they inherited their rulers by dynastic succession. But wait. The Israelites actually chose their king. In fact, God gave to them a profile of His ideal candidate, and He instructed them how to vote.

These very same principles will help guide us as we contemplate our own responsibility this election year.

The first thing the Scriptures do is establish –

The Responsibility of choosing the right leader: Read Deuteronomy 17:14-20

God tells them the things a candidate should not do, and should not be:

Vs 15 – He should not be a “foreigner,” a “stranger”: ie, unknown to them. They should be familiar with him, know who he is and what he stands for. What is his or her reputation?

Vs 16a – He should not “multiply horses”. In biblical times, as for most of history, horses were a symbol of power (an engine measured in “horsepower”.) The idea: He or she should not use the office to amass personal power. Jesus said, “He who would be greatest among you, let him be servant of all.” A public servant.

Vs 16b – “Nor cause the people to return to Egypt” – ie, must not lead them to compromise or become complicit with sin.

Vs 17a – nor multiply wives (should not be promiscuous, unfaithful, unable to keep covenants in his heart). He must not approve or encourage others to be unfaithful.

Vs 17b – multiply to himself silver and gold. (He should not be seeking personal gain, not trade his office for money payments).

Vs 20 – He or she should not be arrogant, and place himself above the law (God’s Law or man’s law).

As we come through Election season, we need to do our homework. We need to know what the candidate’s convictions and positions on all the life issues are – abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, and whether their policies will be conducive to godliness (make us more like God) or cause us to violate God’s Laws.