(Lansing) – Michigan Catholic Conference Vice President for Public Policy
Paul A. Long made the following comments today after Proposal 08-2 passed
by a vote of 52-48:

"The margin of victory for Proposal 2 undoubtedly would have been much
wider if it were not for the dedicated opposition of the Catholic Church in
Michigan.  Every priest, deacon, religious and layperson who helped spread
the Church's teaching that all human life, no matter how small, must be
protected and defended, is to be praised for their courageous witness and
dedication to the Truth.  Michigan Catholic Conference is honored to have
served with several hundred individuals and prominent grassroots
organizations, medical professionals and elected officials through the
MiCAUSE coalition in an effort to protect and preserve life in this great
state.

"Regrettably, we exist in a society that seeks immediate gratification and
pleasure, with a damaging tendency to fall victim to emotional appeals that
lack any notion of good public policy.  Enshrining in the state
constitution a measure that prohibits the legislature from enacting any
oversight or accountability measures related to the destruction of human
embryos has unsettling consequences for the future. Considering embryonic
stem cell research was legal and ongoing in Michigan before the passage of
Proposal 2, it is impossible not to view this measure as anything but the
creation of a new industry structured around the unregulated destruction of
human life.

"The Church’s teaching in support of stem cell research that does not
destroy the human embryo is clearer today than it was before this campaign
began.  Despite the passage of Proposal 2, Michigan Catholic Conference
will continue to advocate before our elected officials for the promotion of
ethical and proven stem cell research that today is benefiting those who
are ill and suffering.  Yet any attempt within the Legislature, whether by
statute or appropriation, to expand further the destruction of human life
in the name of research will meet the immediate opposition of the Michigan
Catholic Conference."

Michigan Catholic Conference is the official public policy voice of the
Catholic Church in this state.

The Catholic bishops of Michigan are urging Catholics and all people of good will to vote No on Proposal 2. This proposed constitutional amendment, which will appear on the November general election ballot, seeks to permit the unregulated and unrestricted destruction of human embryos for experimental purposes. The proposal does nothing to advance ethical and proven adult stem cell research, which the Church supports.
Please click the logo below for more information about MiCAUSE (Michigan Citizens Against Unrestricted Science and Experimentation), to learn how Proposal 2 Goes 2 Far, and for more information about the Catholic Church’s teaching on stem cell research.
Read more…

Candidate questionnaires, information about ballot proposals and links to USCCB Faithful Citizenship materials are all here on the 2008 MCC Faithful Citizenship page.
Visit page…

Advocates of embryo research have placed on the November general election ballot a proposal that seeks to allow for the unregulated destruction of human embryos. This FOCUS publication is intended to analyze the effects of Proposal 2, and to help Michigan Catholics understand the damage the proposal will inflict upon the State of Michigan and its continued defense of human dignity. Read more . . .

On August 21 the Board of State Canvassers certified petition signatures that will place the issue of embryo destructive research on the November general election ballot. Proposal 2 would amend the state constitution to allow for unregulated, unrestricted embryo destruction in Michigan. The proposal also opens the door for human cloning to become legal in this state.
Michigan Catholic Conference has joined the ballot question committee Michigan Citizens Against Unrestricted Science and Experimentation, MiCAUSE, which represents a growing number of individuals and grassroots organizations opposed to this most radical ballot proposal.
Embryo destructive research is neither pro-life nor consistent with the Church’s strong social justice message.
Updates on the campaign working against Proposal 2 can be found at www.micause.com

• Pope Benedict XVI: “Stem Cells: What Future for Therapy?
• USCCB: Stem Cells and Hope for Patients
• Ballot Wording for Proposal 2
• Constitutional Amendment

August 11, 2008: Several advocacy organizations today collectively urged all 148 members of the Michigan Legislature to protect the state’s poor and vulnerable citizens from the effects of rate “deskewing” as part of the Legislature’s debate on House Bill 5524, measures which seek to restructure the state’s energy utilities market. Read press release…