Lifewatch Statement
Rev. Paul T. Stallsworth
President, Lifewatch
111 Hodges Street
Morehead City, NC 28557
(252) 726-2175
National Pro-Life Religious Council Press Conference
National Press Club -- Lisagor Room
07 May 2002 -- 10:00 a.m.
I am Paul Stallsworth. I represent Lifewatch, an organization
of United Methodists for the dignity of every human being.
As United Methodists, we have church teaching on human cloning.
Therefore, this morning I will not resort to personal opinion.
Rather, I will state The United Methodist Church's authoritative
teaching on the cloning of human beings.
The Book of Discipline contains our church's Social
Principles. The social principle on Genetic Technology (Paragraph
162M), declares, in part: "We oppose the cloning of humans..."
In addition, The Book of Resolutions adds rationale
and specificity to the Social Principles. Resolution 91 states,
in part: "We call for a ban on all human cloning, including
the cloning of human embryos. This would include all projects,
privately or governmentally funded, that are intended to advance
human cloning. Transcending our concerns with embryo wastage
are a number of other unresolved and barely explored concerns
with substantial social and theological ramifications: use
or abuse of people, exploitation of women, tearing of the
fabric of the family, the compromising of human distinctiveness,
the lessening of genetic diversity, the direction of research
and development being controlled by corporate profit and/or
personal gain, and the invasion of privacy..."
Resolution 91 also implores: "We call on all nations to ban
human cloning and to identify appropriate government agencies
to enforce the ban..."
For reasons related to the protection and advancement of
God-given human dignity, The United Methodist Church unqualifiedly
opposes all human cloning. Therefore, we United Methodists
call on the United States Senate to pass S-1899, which would
ban all human cloning in the United States.
Thank you.
--Rev. Paul T. Stallsworth, President/Lifewatch/111 Hodges
Street/ Morehead City, NC 28557/252.726.2175
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