Life Links 12/8/05

At Dawn Eden's blog, the Raving Atheist dismantles an article in New York Magazine on the "Haven Coalition, an organization that provides overnight housing for women who flock to New York for elective, late second-trimester abortions."

The Raving Atheist's conclusion: "In short, the Haven Coalition exploits the powerlessness, ignorance and trust of impoverished minority strangers to insure that they kill their unborn children without a second thought. Its volunteers do not bother to discover or understand their clients' individual circumstances, nor do they care what they are. Their sole mission is to encourage conduct they consider reprehensible for no better reason than the lack of any reason at all."


James Sherley, an associate professor of biological engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, shares his views on embryonic stem cell research and human cloning in an interview. HT: Wesley Smith

Sherley notes, "Despite the confusion that some like to create on the questions of "are embryos human beings?" and "when does a human life begin?", both scientists and physicians know very well that human embryos are alive and human. A human life begins when a diploid complement of human DNA is initiated to begin human development. Therefore, a life can be initiated by the fusion of sperm and egg or by the introduction of a diploid nucleus into an enucleated egg (ie, "cloning")."