Writing in the Irish Times, the President of the Secular Franciscan Order, John F Murray, reflected on a visit to the infamous German extermination camp at Auschwitz. “Everywhere we turned in this awful place, from the holding cells, the punishment and torture cells, the execution yard, the one remaining crematorium and the vast wooden accommodation huts which held thousands of innocent men, women and children awaiting execution in the gas chambers, I asked myself how educated people in the heart of modern Europe could inflict such cruelty on helpless fellow human beings. And how could it happen again?” he wrote.

“I realised that Nazi propaganda, long before and during the war, so numbed and blinded the consciences of much of the population of Germany - and indeed other occupied countries - that they no longer saw their Jewish neighbours as full human beings. The Jews in Europe were considered less than human, an inconvenience to be eliminated, yet exploited in the process, even to the extent using their hair for clothing. Of course they were also useful for medical "research" and experiments under such monsters as Dr Mengele. Leading German drug companies, household names today, co-operated and benefited from these experiments. Could it happen again?” he continued.

Mr Murray then answered the question by pointing out that in Ireland “campaigns for abortion and embryonic stem-cell research gather momentum. The unborn child, from the moment of conception - whether that be in the mother's womb or a laboratory in UCC - is a full human being, with the God-given right to life, just like you and me, just like the innocents of Auschwitz.

“These are our brothers and sisters. They deserve better and we cannot claim ignorance,” he concluded.

Eoghan de Faoite of Youth Defence thanked Mr Murray for “reminding Irish Times readers that our shared humanity – whether in Auschwitz or in a lab in UCC – it what makes us deserving of full legal protection.”
“It is truly dreadful to think that, more than 60 years after the Nazi holocaust, experiments on human life may begin in University College Cork,” he added.

Youth Defence will launch a campaign for ethics in science in January, with a special focus on UCC and Cork city and county. By raising public awareness with pro-life billboards, a striking leaflet, public information stalls, and on-campus activity, the group hopes to encourage opposition the appalling decision made by UCC’s governing body to begin research on embryonic stem cell lines.

“We’re determined that this campaign will reach out to as many people as possible. We need to raise public awareness of the key issues: That embryo research destroys human life and offers no cures; that it is research on adult stem cells that are providing cures; and that UCC wants to begin research which is opposed by the majority of Irish people. We must get people talking about, and acting on, this issue. They need to be contacting UCC, contacting their political representatives and informing others,” said Mr de Faoite.

Source : TruthTV


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