Choose Life Australia

To uphold the intrinsic value and dignity of human life from fertilisation to its natural end.

A call to Christian leaders to appreciate what is arguably the greatest threat to our future.

The question of what it means to be human is set before us with greater clarity than ever before and demands a response from people who seek to preserve and uphold the intrinsic value and dignity of human life.

It encompasses the large issues around the creation of life and the manner and timing of its end. It has huge ramifications for the future of our society.

In addition to communicating the threat, this is put together to equip the Christian community to have a public voice, and as a call to be a distinctive and holy people, to be passionate for Christ, and to be bold in our witness to the wider community. Further, it is to provide a basis for authoritative societal and political action.

Be distinctive. Be passionate. Be bold.

The World Has Changed

The events of the first three years of the new millennium (2001-2003) have changed the world in which we live. There are more serious – and unthinkable – threats to the future of mankind and society than we have ever faced before.

September 11, 2001 was a day that changed our world forever. We saw then and now the ability of terrorists to strike anywhere without specific purpose or outcome other than to express their hatred and cause mayhem and to maim and kill people going about their everyday lives. We saw the images in some countries of raw hatred and rejoicing in the streets that so many died including people from other nations.

In response we have had the invasion of Afghanistan – another chapter in this nation’s sorry history – and the invasion of Iraq with the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. There is the threat of Holy War – increasingly focussed by parts of the Muslim world as being religious even with the West trying hard to avoid religious differences.

And then there was Bali&

In the last few years we have been witness to an even more concerted attack on the traditional family and marriage. The foundational God-given blueprint of marriage as being between male and female has been overturned by some courts in the name of eliminating discrimination.

Religious tolerance legislation threatens to even include being unable to preach that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven because that may ‘offend’ other religious groups.

But the world has also changed in a less obvious but extremely significant way that threatens the future of our society.

In 2002 the debate on the value of embryonic human life was highlighted by the stem cell research issue and whether such research should – in addition to working with adult stem cells – also work with cells from embryos with their consequent destruction. This in turn has re-ignited the debate on when life really begins and how we place a value on human life at any point along such life – in short what does it mean to be human?

Legislation has already been passed in our federal government to allow embryo stem cell research on existing ‘spare’ embryos, and is proceeding in our state legislatures.

And once again the push is on to legalise forms of Euthanasia in our state parliaments.

The issue of what it means to be human – the beginning of life, the quality of life, the ‘worth’ of life and personhood – is critical to our thinking with respect to abortion, embryo research, cloning, eugenics and euthanasia. There is good reason to believe that what we are facing in the attempted manipulation of life and death is more sinister than any other evil we have encountered.

Do we need to be persuaded that this is so?

Cameo 1: 0245 July 14, 1998 in our Northern Territory – for those of you who don’t remember baby Jessica Jane was born alive at around 20-22 weeks. Jessica’s mother Fiona had a job in the defence force and said she could not cope with a child so an abortion procedure was performed but baby J was accidentally born alive and cried for 80 minutes until she died at 0405. A nurse risked disapproval by picking the baby up and wrapping it in a warm blanket until it stopped breathing. Was Baby J not a person simply because she should not have been born alive? Did Baby J have a soul?

Cameo 2: August 5, 2002. On a seemingly insignificant day, a little paragraph in a US paper: President Bush signed a bill that declares a foetus that survives an abortion procedure a person under federal law. What was it before? Why was it so necessary to do this? Because the courts in the US had allowed babies born alive to die when that was the mother’s and the doctor’s intention.

The President in his speech announcing this new law said:

The Born Alive Infants Protection Act establishes a principle in American law and American conscience: there is no right to destroy a child who has been born alive. A child who is born has intrinsic worth and must have the full protection of our laws. Today, through (ultrasounds) and other technology, we can& see clearly that unborn children are members of the human family, as well. They reflect our image, and they are created in God’s own image.

Cameo 3: May 2002. Nancy Crick suicides in Australia. Before and after she died there is a blaze of publicity in our papers and on TV about euthanasia, assisted suicide, and the right to die at a time of our choosing. Allegedly with terminal cancer and weighing 27kg but the autopsy shows no trace of cancer or other terminal process and her weight is almost double the stated 27kg. This is more than just euthanasia for a terminally ill person with unremitting pain. Is the euthanasia lobby embarrassed? No, the decision to help end her life is defended on the grounds that she was 79 and wanted to die. Would she have been helped if she was 69? What if she was 59? The scene had shifted to a relatively well person who had decided her time had come to die – another lifestyle choice.

Cameo 4: December 2003. The New Jersey state assembly on Monday 15 December by a 41-31 vote passed a bill that was signed into law in January 2004 allowing the cloning and implantation of human embryos, as long as the unborn child is killed sometime before term for research or organ transplantation. Cloning for reproductive purposes is prohibited and is punishable by a 20 yr gaol sentence. So, if the baby is killed, that’s legal; if the baby is allowed to live, that’s illegal. The bill’s sponsor said: “Do this for your children and your grandchildren.”

Cameo 5: March 2004. A couple in Western Australia is trying to create a “designer baby” in the hope that the child eventually will save the life of their critically ill daughter, all other avenues of receiving a tissue match for a marrow transplant having failed. Some embryos are deemed unsuitable and therefore not selected. One embryo is selected but fails to survive.

When does human life begin?

Life begins when a cell has the ability to replicate and differentiate into individual tissues – usually, of course, by fertilisation with a cell of the same species, but sometimes by another species or by cloning.

Human life begins when the cell possessing the ability to replicate and differentiate has human chromosomes. It possesses life and it is uniquely and unequivocally human with an individual chromosomal pattern that determines unique adult characteristics. It may never develop into a living adult, it may not have self-awareness, it may not feel pain – but it is still human by virtue of its gene pattern, it is alive, it is unique, and it has the ability to replicate and differentiate.

Just like the ‘designer child’, we know when we begin. “Mummy, what would have happened to me if my tissue match had not been right?” But you were just a clump of cells, dear. “But Mummy it was still me, my hair colour was determined and my eye colour was determined.” But you weren’t really a ‘person’ then, dear. “Mummy, even the shape of my smile was determined – that was me!”

The process of embryo selection results in destruction of unsuitable embryos and the ‘designer child’ could have been one of these. Though not yet expressed, individuality is inherent and real in the genetic programming from the time of fertilisation!

Concepts of personhood and self-awareness are too arbitrary on which to base decisions regarding life and death. The human embryo is human life in the truest sense and must be protected against experimentation or exploitation. This is also true for adult life. To this end the following is put forward as a basis on which Christians can agree in being a community voice.

An Ethics Manifesto re Human Life for the 21^st Century.

We affirm that human life begins when a cell containing human chromosomes first has the ability to replicate and differentiate into individual tissues i.e. at fertilisation. The genetic pattern of such a cell is uniquely human and determines its adult characteristics.

We deny that any other definition of the beginning of human life is acceptable. We believe this to be a line that must not be crossed.

We affirm that human life has intrinsic value at every stage of life and dependency from its beginning to its natural end and must be protected against experimentation or exploitation.

We deny that concepts of personhood and self-awareness, being arbitrary and capable of varying definition, are acceptable as indicators of the presence or absence of human life.

We affirm further that the human embryo, being human life in the truest sense, has intrinsic value and that the extraction of stem cells from it is unacceptable.

We deny that cloning technology is acceptable whether for so-called therapeutic or reproductive purposes. We also deny that fertilisation attempted between human and non-human cells (to create a ‘chimera’) is acceptable.

We affirm from the evidence of many scientists that stem-cell research on adult tissues and other non-embryonic tissues (e.g. umbilical cord) already has proven benefits and safety as well as increasing promise for the future and that research on embryos is not as necessary as other scientists make out.

We deny that as ‘spare’ embryos are going to die anyway, then it is reasonable to use them for stem cell research or experiment on them in other ways. We further deny that it is acceptable to experiment on or harvest organs from human life at any stage regardless of impairment or impending death or to terminate such life before its natural end.

We affirm (in answer to those who say that ‘religious’ people should keep out of the debate) our right – and indeed obligation – to speak for the future of our society. We assert that ‘natural’ Law is present in the heart of mankind; that this law exhorts us to protect the innocent and helpless and to uphold the sanctity, preciousness and intrinsic value of life at all stages. We further assert that these are eternal and immutable principles that can only be ignored and rejected at our peril.

A Christian Worldview

Many will be familiar with the worldview concept that probably dates from Abraham Kuyper in the 19th century. What is a Christian worldview? Perhaps we should now – in light of recent developments with the ordination of perhaps even practising gay priests within the broader ‘Christian’ church – use the term Biblical Christian worldview.

“A worldview . . . is a set of beliefs and practices that shape a person’s approach to the most important issues in life. Through our worldview, we determine priorities, explain our relationship to God and fellow human beings, assess the meaning of events, and justify our actions. Our worldview even speaks to the most ordinary practices in everyday life, including the types of things we read and view, the types of entertainment and leisure activities we seek, our approach to work, and much more.” (Michael Palmer).

A Christian Worldview acknowledges

• the reality of God, the ‘intelligent designer’ and Creator
• that we are created in the Image of God, that therefore we are of intrinsic value for who we are and that life is precious and to be respected at all stages regardless of sex, race, intellect, self-awareness, age or disability.
• that what we do here matters here and eternally; we are spirit as well as body; there is a reality and a ‘hope’ beyond what we see
• that there is a God-given Natural Law written on our hearts
• the reality of our ‘fallen’ nature, that we reap what we sow, and that evil desensitise
• the opportunity for reconciliation but also the reality of some evil that appears to refuse any possibility of redemption
• ‘true’ religion: James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Brad Gahm, an attorney, writes:

My worldview calls me to challenge the naturalistic assumptions of science that attempt to explain how life began. I know, instead, that I am the purposeful creation of God as stated in Genesis 1 and 2. From that I know that there is intrinsic value in all human life derived solely from our status as God’s creation. Our value, conferred by God, defines the threat posed by cloning, abortion, and euthanasia. And as a lawyer I am particularly interested in Christian citizenship. It is liberating to know how “separation of church and state” has been misunderstood and frequently misapplied, and how Christians properly can engage in the cultural battle of worldviews.

And T. M. Moore writes:

The biblical idea of the kingdom of God is a worldview message of life-changing, culture-transforming, history-altering proportions. It was the message Jesus proclaimed and that He commanded His disciples to preach and teach. It brings forgiveness of sin and renewed hope, vision, and strength. The kingdom message of repentance and reconciliation is a word every man and woman needs to hear. It speaks to the creators of culture, practitioners of power, mediators of mindsets, and shapers of souls of our postmodern generation, announcing a reality that must be reckoned with, cannot be ignored, and promises life on a plane that nothing else can even begin to approximate.

And from Abraham Kuyper 1897:

One desire has been the ruling passion of my life. One high motive has acted like a spur upon my mind and soul. And sooner than that I should seek escape from the sacred necessity that is laid upon me, let the breath of life fail me. It is this: That in spite of all worldly opposition, God’s holy ordinances shall be established again in the home, in the school and in the State for the good of the people; to carve as it were into the conscience of the nation the ordinances of the Lord, to which Bible and Creation bear witness, until the nation pays homage again to God.

Ravi Zacharias in Deliver us From Evil – Restoring the Soul in a Disintegrating Culture (1996) says that no world-view suffers more from the loss of truth than the Christian one and that for the Christian this is where the battle must be fought.

But sadly moral truth and worldview is suffering among Christians many of who are asleep and who have no idea how far the battle has progressed. There are too many who embrace what the world has to offer. Many of you would be aware of the George Barna poll that indicated that the percentage of US evangelicals affirming that they believe in “moral truths or principles” that are eternal and unchanging actually declined after Sept 11 to 32%, down from 48% in 1991 and 38% in 1994.

We have a Sharpened Focus for the 21st Century.

The Challenge:

• A culture which has denied the soul, Natural Law and a God-worldview resulting in a generation of Men Without Chests (Abolition of Man CSLewis) – Let’s try to change it!
• Loss of a Christian worldview – Let’s present it!
• We are being marginalised and told to stay out of the public square – We have a right to speak!
• We are at risk of becoming a Bible illiterate church without a true Christian worldview and we have been disenfranchised in the community – Let us be certain of our birthright as the Children of God; we have a Story and a Message to tell; let us boldly speak the truth and for truth in the public square and feel good about doing this.

What can we do? How can we change our culture?

Preach the gospel.
Bringing people into the Kingdom to adopt Kingdom values – through personal evangelism, church programs and activities, home groups, door-to-door visiting, to youth, in Sunday School and in schools programs.

Yes, our main ‘mission’ focus must always be to preach the gospel in season and out of season, but we also need to speak to issues involving our culture, to be a prophetic voice and say what needs to be said as God’s people and watchmen (Ezek 33:7-9). We need to appeal to lasting values of virtue and honour, justice and mercy that are a part of universal and natural law. We need to proclaim the Word of God – as Jeremiah had to – to the rulers and people of this land.

This is what the LORD says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there: ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne–you, your officials and your people who come through these gates. This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.'” Jeremiah 22:1-3.

We should and can argue for a Christian Worldview, using and affirming the principles of (God’s) Natural Law and beyond that to argue on the grounds of the logical progression of the humanistic argument into the inevitable ‘slippery slope’ consequences. Peter Singer – allegedly the world’s most prominent ethicist of our day – has been very useful in defining the natural progression of abortion to infanticide in infants up to about six weeks old. We cannot afford to ever define life in terms of self-awareness, personhood or usefulness. The end-of-the-slope consequences are terrifying. We must always argue that human life has intrinsic value and that there is a line that must not be crossed.

Values education:
Reaching our kids with a consciousness of God, the gospel and with eternal values – in schools, after-school clubs, Sunday School, holiday missions and camps.

Teaching our own children by example, by praying with them, listening to them, introducing to good literature and visual material that emphasise the spiritual component of our being

Building ‘values’ bridges into the community with topical seminars as below.

Education on specific issues:
Grounding our own people in these matters and mobilising an army who understand the times; who know what to do; making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil (Eph 5:15).

Public education through seminars, panel discussions and specific teaching sessions on depression, death and dying, euthanasia, the role of family on our society, suicide.

Informing politicians e.g. through Australian Christian Lobby

Challenge and, when appropriate, Confront:

Politicians and the general public including appropriate use of slogans e.g.

• Choose Life Australia
• Do Not Shame Australia – Protect Innocent Embryos
• Do Not Sell Australia’s Soul – Choose Life

With a bold and authoritative voice:
Consider Peter and John before the rulers being questioned by whose authority? “&by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead& He is ‘the stone you builders rejected'” (Acts 4:10,11)

Peter and John go back to the others and they pray.
“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.”

And they had been commissioned by the greatest authority:
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt 28:18-20 NIV)

A positional statement, a command and a promise. All authority; Therefore go; I am with you always.

And on the day of resurrection when Jesus first appeared to the disciples He repeated his greeting:
“Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.” (John 20:21 The Message)

Once again, the commission.

Mission for the Body of Christ: with boldness and authority to be heard in today’s world

• to awaken Christians to the significance of the moral and ethical issues facing us
• to challenge to a sacrificial and distinctive lifestyle; to let go of the trivia holding us back; to walk the Calvary Road; to Be Distinctive, Be Passionate, Be Bold
• to equip – educate, educate, educate
• to confer the authority that has been given by Jesus Christ for all Christians to teach and preach and Tell the Story with boldness
• to prepare and train people who will, with boldness and authority, argue persuasively in matters relating to (God’s) Natural Law in the public square and the marketplace, and be heard as a prophetic voice (the ‘whole’ Word) to our society’s needs and ills, seeking to restore the Soul and a Christian worldview to our Culture.

With boldness and authority! Lord, help us.

A Political Vision for Choose Life Australia

To mobilise respected Christians across Australia to stand as candidates with the Christian Democratic Party (CDP) for election to Federal Parliament and who will challenge, equip and give voice to a wakened, invigorated and distinctive Christian community, which will then be heard in today’s world with boldness and authority

• as a new wave of evangelism preaching and teaching the Good News with the challenge to Choose Life
• seeking to present a Christian worldview to our culture
• supporting a specific Christian voice in our parliaments representing Christian people who feel marginalised by those saying that religious people have no right to speak on ethical and moral issues and who want to honour life and have it be honoured in our communities
• and who are prepared to vote accordingly.

Aims for the journey

• to awaken the Christian community – and hopefully the wider community too – as to the significance of the moral and ethical issues facing us
• to give a voice to that community – even those currently aware feel helpless in this battle
• to enhance the image of the CDP throughout Australia so people will be more comfortable with future support

We want candidates

• Preferably well known and respected by the Church community and the secular community.
• Recognised as people of God with spiritual characteristics as listed in 1 Tim 3, some excerpts being: above reproach, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, gentle, not a lover of money, a good reputation with outsiders, keeping hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.
• With a Christian worldview.
• Who will uphold the foundational principles of the Christian Democratic Party but in light of how the world has changed in the few short years of this 21st Century to be of one mind with the theme of Choose Life Australia.
• Who are prepared to be elected! Which is highly unlikely in human terms but there are many pointers to this being God’s timing for Australia.
• Who realise this is a mission, not just a political campaign (see below).
• We need people for Senate and House of Representatives. For Senate we want at least two in each state so we can run as a ‘ticket’ and get a spot at the top of the ballot paper.

Campaign Theme: Choose Life Australia – upholding the dignity and intrinsic value of human life from fertilisation to its natural end.

In running for this position we represent a cross-section of the community who want to preserve the core values of our society and who want to be able to say so without fear of denigration just because we hold these values dear.

We uphold the intrinsic value and dignity of human life at all stages of development and in all conditions of dependency from fertilisation to its natural end. This is our response to the issue – that has been set before us with greater clarity than ever before – of how we value human life in the 21st century and what it means to be human. This issue encompasses the large issues around the creation of life and the manner and timing of its end and we believe it has huge ramifications for the future of our society.

We believe that the institutions of marriage and family as accepted by our forebears must be preserved to ensure a healthy society.

We want to preserve a voice for these and other matters in the community and in our parliaments and not be told we have no right to speak because we are ‘religious’. Some of us in the community have begun to believe that we have no right to a voice and we want to remedy that.

We believe that these values are in line with what we consider to be Natural Law and that – for us – such law has been set in place by Almighty God. We also believe, that when we insist that human laws line up with Natural Law, we are not ‘imposing religion’.

Is this a single-issue campaign?

No. But it was the issue of destructive stem cell research in embryos that highlighted the critical question of what it means to be human and when life really begins. In this era of taking life and making life and maybe soon faking life, we need to be thinking ahead of where science takes us and examine this question carefully.

The theme of Choose Life Australia – upholding the dignity and intrinsic value of human life from fertilisation to its natural end is as fundamental as you can get – like the introductory articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights& everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

It is the issue of the 21^st Century. The safeguards that we must put in place now and hold fast will I believe ensure the survival of our society.

So much flows from this position once we establish it – like those articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; like how we look after the less privileged in society; like our attitude to refugees; like how we approach problems in our community such as compulsive gambling or other health issues.

And the transcending issue that we must highlight is in harmony with the fundamental values of a healthy society – can we do better than to say, with boldness and authority, Choose Life Australia?

These are matters of great urgency. So much has happened in the last two years. The time for concerted and cooperative action is now. The political urgency is now. Already we have missed vital opportunities for a strong Christian voice and we find ourselves being reactive instead of proactive in issues that shape our world and society. By the time we have another federal election we may have lost irretrievable ground.

Now is the time!

Now is the time to pray for our country as never before
Now is the time for Australia to Choose Life
Now is the time for a combined Christian Voice
Now is the time to be a distinctive people of God
Now is the time for boldness and authority
Now is the time for specific Christian voices at all levels of community including political
Now is the time to uphold a Christian worldview to our culture
Now is the time to defend what it means to be human.

Lachlan Dunjey. January 2004 (rev. April).

Personal postscript.
I can see now how the last 2 years have led to this point of incomprehensible life change (to run for Senate) and a mirror of this has been in some of the talks that I have given.

How then should we live? To the Law and the Testimony! Sept 2001 (after Sept 11).
Be very careful then how you live – what discipleship means. Jan 2002. (Despite similar titles, they are significantly different!)
Reflections on the Soul, Personhood and What it Means to be Human. Mar 2003.
Equipping a New Generation to Face and Argue Moral and Ethical Issues in the Public Square. July 2003. (Paper to Christian Schools Conference.)
With Boldness and Authority. Sept 2003.
A Distinctive People. Jan 2004.
The Brave New World – what must we do? April 2004.

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Appendix 1: Statements signed by WA church leaders.

Combined Churches Statement On Abortion.
(February 1998 to Members of Parliament in Western Australia.).

We, the undersigned, want to take this opportunity of reminding the people of Western Australia of what termination of pregnancy really is. We want to tell you the truth!

1. The conceptus is a human organism with a human chromosomal pattern and specific identifying characteristics – it is in reality an unborn child.

2. The unborn does have and must have rights. This is recognised by legislation in some states and other parts of the world, in that the unborn has rights in cases of assault or accident to the mother.

3. Abortion is the killing of a human being. It is the termination of a unique life.

4. The consequences of terminating a pregnancy have been minimised by abortion proponents.

5. The medical risk to the woman having an abortion is probably low, but includes cervical damage leading to subsequent miscarriage. There are studies showing a long-term association with breast cancer which cannot at this stage be dismissed.

6. There are consequences to the mental well-being of the mother. Agony can be felt decades into the future. It is not always possible to continue to deny the reality that a child has been killed.

7. There are consequences in relationships with the current partner and future partners of those involved in an abortion.

8. There are consequences to our spirit, unless we are totally successful in denying the spiritual component of our being.

9. The vast majority of women who make a decision to go through with an unwanted pregnancy have no doubt that they have made the right choice for themselves as well as the baby.

We acknowledge the complexity and agony that women face in unwanted pregnancy.

The purpose of this statement is to inform and not to condemn.

We also wish to affirm our compassion and offer our support to women with unwanted pregnancy and to those who may be distressed because of previous abortion.

Rev Peter Abetz, Reformed Churches

Pastor Philip Baker, Rhema Family Church

Dr Graeme Carroll, Chairman, Christian Medical and Dental Fellowship

Rev David Christian, President, Lutheran Church

Mr Barry Hadlow, Elder, Bedford Gospel Chapel

Most Rev Barry J Hickey, Catholic Archbishop of Perth

Pastor Warren Ison, General Supervisor, Church of the Four Square Gospel

Rev John Kerr, Superintendent, Church of the Nazarene

Lt Col Garth McKenzie, Divisional Commander, The Salvation Army

Rev Tom Morrison, President, Churches of Christ

Mr Peter Plumb, Moderator, Westminster Presbyterian Church

Dr Michael Shanahan, President, Catholic Doctors Assoc

Mr Ray Shaw, President, Baptist Churches

Pastor John Warwick, Superintendent, Assemblies of God

Pastor Geoffrey Woodward, Chairman, Christian Outreach Centres

Embryonic Stem Cell Research – a Statement by Christian Leaders.
(May 2002 to Federal Members of Parliament)

We believe that the decisions we as a society make now regarding the ethical issues around cloning and embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) will significantly shape our future. We therefore make the following statement:

We believe that life begins when a cell has the ability to replicate and differentiate into individual tissues e.g. a fertilised ovum. Human life begins when the cell possessing this ability has human chromosomes. It may never develop to the extent that it becomes self-aware or feel pain – but it is still human by virtue of its gene pattern, it is alive, it is unique, and it has the ability to replicate and differentiate. This is the most basic definition of human life.

We believe that the concepts of personhood and self-awareness are too arbitrary on which to base decisions regarding life and death and that the human embryo is human life in the truest sense and must be protected against experimentation or exploitation. We believe this to be also true for adult life.

We believe that cloning technology whether for so-called therapeutic or reproductive purposes is unacceptable and that, in the words of Dr Leon Kass (head of President Bush’s bioethics advisory council), a society in which it (cloning) is tolerated is no longer the same society–any more than is a society that permits incest or cannibalism or slavery… It is a society that has forgotten how to shudder, that rationalizes away the abominable. Yes, we have an obligation to improve health, but the boundary which should not be crossed is where we interfere to destroy life or to create it in a way alien to God’s blueprint. Cloning crosses that boundary.

We accept the views of many scientists that stem-cell research on adult tissues and other non-embryonic tissues e.g. umbilical cord, has proven benefits and safety as well as great promise for the future and that ESCR is not as necessary as other scientists make out.

In light of the boundary discussed above, we further state that experimentation on spare embryos is not acceptable and we believe there to be a significant difference between experimentation that actually causes death and allowing death to occur naturally with the passage of time or by withdrawing the life-supporting freezing environment.

We do not agree with the premise that as ‘spare’ embryos – who lack ‘personhood’ or ‘self-awareness’ – are going to die anyway, then it is reasonable to experiment or do ‘research’ on them first. We submit this would be like asking whether it might be OK to do research or experiment on a person who is comatose or lacks self-awareness for other reasons and who is either near death or will not recover.

It is our plea that our community conscience will be awake and sensitive to the seriousness of these unique and significant issues.

Rev Peter Abetz: Christian Reformed Churches of WA

Dr Graeme Carroll: Christian Medical and Dental Fellowship Aust (WA Branch) Chairman

Pastor Dale Hewitt: Apostolic Church Australia National Leader

Most Rev B J Hickey: Archbishop of Perth, Catholic Church

Pastor Graham Johnston: Church of Christ WA President

Dr Al Jones: Church of the Nazarene

Pastor Mike Keating: WA Assemblies of God Vice-President

Dr Amanda Lamont: Catholic Doctors Association President

Pastor Geoffrey Woodward: Christian Outreach Centres of WA Chairman

Rev Ian Touzel: Westminster Presbyterian Church Moderator

Pastor Ashley Van Wyk: Church of the Foursquare Gospel (WA) Supervisor

The following are also members of the Standing Together Task Force:

Pastor Philip Baker: Australian Christian Churches President

Rev Dr John McElroy: Director Southern Cross Assoc of Churches

Prof Brian Stone: Baptist Churches of WA President

Mr John Gilmour QC

Pastor Dwight Randall: Life Ministries

Rev Dr Margaret Court MBE: Victory Life Centre Senior Pastor

Pastor David Storer: Perth Christian Life Centre

Pastor Gerard Keehan: Sunset Coast Christian Life Centre

Mr Robert Greaves: Standing Together Task Force Chairman

Embryonic Stem Cell Research – a Statement by Christian Leaders to Members of Parliament in Western Australia for their Consideration.
(August 2003 to Members of Parliament in Western Australia.)

We believe that the decisions we as a society make now regarding protection of embryonic human life will significantly shape our future. We therefore make the following statement:

We affirm that human life begins when a cell containing human chromosomes has the ability to replicate and differentiate into individual tissues (i.e. with fertilisation but also by cloning). The genetic pattern of such a cell is uniquely human and determines its adult characteristics. We further affirm that, being human life in the truest sense, the human embryo has intrinsic value and must be protected against experimentation or exploitation along with human life at any stage. We believe this to be a line that must not be crossed.

We deny that any other definition of the beginning of human life is acceptable. Concepts of personhood and self-awareness are arbitrary and capable of varying definition and are not acceptable.

We affirm from the evidence of many scientists that stem-cell research on adult tissues and other non-embryonic tissues (e.g. umbilical cord) already has proven benefits and safety as well as increasing promise for the future and that research on embryos is not as necessary as other scientists make out.

We deny that as ‘spare’ embryos are going to die anyway, then it is reasonable to use them for stem cell research or experiment on them in other ways. We submit this would be like asking whether it might be acceptable to do research or experiment on an unresponsive person who is near death.

We affirm (in answer to those who say that ‘religious’ people should keep out of the debate) our right – and indeed obligation – to speak for the future of our society. We assert that ‘natural’ Law is present in the heart of mankind; that this law exhorts us to protect the innocent and helpless and to uphold the sanctity and preciousness of life. We further assert that these are eternal and immutable principles that can only be ignored and rejected at our peril.

It is our plea that you will be sensitive to the seriousness of these unique and significant issues and vote against the proposed 2003 Amendment Bill to the Human Reproductive Technology Act 1991.

Rev Peter Abetz: Christian Reformed Churches of WA

Pastor Philip Baker: President, Australian Christian Churches

Dr Graeme Carroll: Chairman, Christian Medical and Dental Fellowship Aust, WA Branch

Pastor Bob Clark: President, Baptist Churches of WA

Pastor John Finkelde: North City Church

Mr Robert Greaves: Chairman, Standing Together Task Force

Pastor Dale E Hewitt: National Leader, Apostolic Church Australia

Pastor Graham Johnston: President, Churches of Christ WA

Dr Amanda Lamont: President, Catholic Doctors Association

Rev Dr John McElroy: Director, Southern Cross Assoc of Churches

Pastor Dwight Randall: Life Ministries

Prof Brian Stone: Past President, Baptist Churches of WA

Pastor David Storer: President, Assemblies of God WA

Rev Ian Touzel: Moderator, Presbytery of Perth, Westminster Presbyterian Church

Pastor Geoffrey Woodward: Chairman, Christian Outreach Centres of WA

Pastor Ashley Van Wyk: Supervisor, Church of the Foursquare Gospel WA

Appendix 2: Sources and further reading:

Abolition of Man CSLewis 1943
The Pro-Life Infonet is a daily compilation of pro-life news and information http://www.prolifeinfo.org
Charles Colson’s Breakpoint Online www.breakpoint.org
Wilberforce Forum – link from above site
How Now Shall we Live by Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey 2002
The Denial of the Soul M.Scott Peck 1997
Reclaiming the Culture Edited Alan Crippen II, Focus on the Family 1996.
The Naked Public Square Richard Neuhaus 1984
Deliver us From Evil – Restoring the Soul in a Disintegrating Culture Ravi Zacharias 1996
CSLewis and Francis Schaeffer – Lessons for a New Century from the Most Influential Apologists of Our Time Scott R Burson and Jerry L Walls 1998
In Defence of the Soul – What it Means to be Human Ric Machuga 2002 (heavy very scholarly reading)
Euphemisms Cloud the Embryonic Stem Cell Research Debate C. Ben Mitchell, Ph.D. Washington Times; July 15, 2001