08/13/2004: "Nothing like having your priorities straight"

Here's a wonderfully illustrative contrast. First, from the UK's Guardian:

Britain was yesterday placed at the forefront of global research into potential stem cell therapies for a range of incurable diseases as the go-ahead was given for the cloning of human embryos.

The chair of the HFEA Suzi Leather said: "After careful consideration of all the scientific, ethical, legal and medical aspects of the project, the HFEA licence committee agreed to grant an initial one year research licence. This is an important area of research and a responsible use of technology."

Jack Scarisbrick, national chairman of the group Life, said: "The decision is not unexpected given the HFEA's lamentable track record.

"We deplore this further step down the slippery slope. Therapeutic cloning involves the manufacture of a new kind of human being with the express purpose of destroying that life once stem cells have been stripped from it. It is the manipulation, exploitation and trivialisation of human life of a most frightening kind."

The UN will discuss moves to ban reproductive and therapeutic cloning in October. The UK and others are lobbying for individual countries to be allowed to decide whether to allow therapeutic cloning.

Then there's this item from the UK's Telegraph, in which a Church of England bishop takes on one of the crucial issues of this day:

The Bishop of Hulme, the Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, has urged clergy to "think long and hard" before allowing "I Vow to Thee, My Country" to be sung in church. The hymn was sung at the wedding and funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales and is one of the most popular pieces of church music. But the bishop believes it is contributing to a rise in nationalism, and even sees parallels with the rise of fascism in 1930s' Germany.

Would it be too much to suggest that the creation of human life for utilitarian purposes is a wee bit more important than whether a given hymn is used in worship services most Britons avoid like the plague? But then again, Bishop Lowe no doubt is aware that even if he or any of his fellow C of E prelates were to actually say anything about therapeutic cloning (to date none have), no one would be listening, so what's the point, really?