Human Life...

Today I stumbled across that video on Perez Hilton's site. I think that's probably one of the most shocking images I've seen in a long time. There is Michael J. Fox, someone most of the people of my generation is familiar with, in what seems to be the advanced stages of Parkinson's Disease.

It breaks my heart.

I think that most of us go through life knowing that certain things exist but don't understand the magnitude of what those things are until we are exposed to them somehow. Living in the age of information there shouldn't be an excuse for anyone to say that there is anything they haven't seen, and yet, even I myself am guilty of not knowing, of not looking to know.

A very good friend of mine was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 3 or 4 years ago. It was trying to understand what that was that I became acquainted with the term "stem cell research". Personally, it upsets me to know that there are lawmakers out there who think that this is a bad thing. Sure, I understand the many shades of ethical gray regarding this issue; but for the life of me, I don't understand why someone would want to ban the possibility for people with afflictions like Parkinson's or MS of maybe one day having a cure or a treatment that could extend their life and improve the quality of it.

I think that it's easy to hide behind our faith, which is ultimately what drives the ethical engine in our society, when we say that it is wrong to destroy embryos or attempt cell cloning. But I ask myself, shouldn't our faith lead us in the direction that will help us save a fellow human?

My mom has asked me why I have so many issues with my religion and with religion in general. I have told her that I can't be okay with a religion that will let people die of AIDS rather than modify its teachings. I can't be okay with a religion that will let people believe that God is not okay with family planning. I can't be okay with a religion that will treat different as an abomination. I certainly can't be okay with a religion that will protect potential life more vehemently than already existing life.

I wish that the people who have the power to make a difference in the lives of so many people would step up to the plate and remember that they have a responsability to us all. At the end of the day, people can say all kinds of horrible things about the moral fiber of a person but nobody can ever say that you lack moral fiber because you helped save someone.