Dr. John Willke, internationally known pro-life leader, author and spokesman was the principal speaker at the twenty-fourth annual Respect Life Prayer Breakfast sponsored by Pennsylvanians for Human Life. Held on Jan 27th at St. Mary’s Center Scranton, the event drew a crowd of nearly 400 people. Clergy who participated in the program included The Most Reverend Joseph F. Martino, Bishop of Scranton, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, Reverend Christopher Saad, St. Peter’s Cathedral, Reverend Steve Wilson, Hope Church, Moosic and Reverend Paul Howden, Grace Reformed Episcopal Church.
Dr. Willke addressed two issues, what takes place in the earliest days of human life and how this relates to embryonic stem cell research, and the reasons abortion is not safer than childbirth though abortion advocates make that claim .
Dr. Willke stated: " We must know about the first days of life to address the issues of abortion and embryonic stem cell research. We have learned through modern technology that sperm can get into a woman’s ovaries in al little as thirty minutes. If a ripe ovum is present conception can occur. Several million sperm attempt to fertilize the ovum, but only one will push its head through the shell of the ovum. This event creates an electrical charge around the periphery of the ovum preventing any more sperm from getting in."
Willke continued, "The sperm’s penetration is the moment of conception. In 24 hours, sometimes called the process of conception, the genetic material from the mother and father are reconstituted into a single cell. Now we have a complete human body." "When you have a fertilized egg, you have a being which is alive. This being is human, not a rabbit, not celery. This being is sexed, male or female. It is complete. Nothing is added to the single cell you once were except nutrition and oxygen." the doctor emphasized
"This is not a blueprint, because nothing is added. When you build a house you start with a blueprint, but you add bricks, mortar, wood, etc. At conception we have a complete being, either male or female from the first day. All that is needed is time and nutrition so that this new human being can grow. For the first week of life the new individual floats freely and at about one week implants into his mother’s womb and sends a chemical message that there is a passenger here. Don’t menstruate. This new passenger dominates her body until delivery, taking the nutrition he needs and he will even choose his own birthdate." said Willke.
Understanding what happens to every human being in the very first days of his or her life is only part of what we need to know about the debate over embryonic stem cell research. Dr. Willke told his audience, "In order to understand the debate over embryonic stem cells, we need to understand where we get embryonic stem cells. You take a brand new human on day five of his life, cut him or her open and take from the inside embryonic stem cells. The only way to get embryonic stem cells is to kill a new human life." He continued, "This is the first reason we oppose embryonic stem cell research. The second reason is they don’t work and probably never will. This is due to rejection as foreign tissue. Embryonic stem cells are foreign tissue to the patient. Infection is another reason. The woman who donated the egg may have a disease which can be transmitted. Another reason why embryonic stem cells do not work is that we cannot control the growth of the cells. They produce tumors. One patient who received embryonic stem cells died a year later of a brain tumor. An autopsy showed that the stem cells produced hair and bone cells in his brain."
" Adult stem cells are safer and more efficent. Adult stem cells treat over seventy different conditions. For example, an eighteen year old girl who was paralized went to Portugal for treatment. They took stem cells from the lining of her nose and put them into her spinal cord. She is walking. There was no rejection, no infection and they don’t produce tumors." Dr. Willke
reported. His statements about the safety of abortion vs. childbirth will be included in a later post.
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