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News Release: Michigan Catholic Conference Releases 2007–2008 Advocacy Priorities

Upholding Michigan’s Cloning Ban, Support for Statewide Health Care Insurance Top Agenda

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 5, 2007

(LANSING)—Supporting efforts to bring statewide health care insurance to Michigan, along with opposing ongoing legislative efforts to decriminalize human cloning in the state top the Michigan Catholic Conference’s advocacy agenda for the 94th legislative session, the Conference announced today.

“Based on the Conference’s belief that health care is a fundamental human right, our advocacy efforts will include a focus on ensuring every resident of Michigan has access to basic health care insurance,” says Conference Vice President for Public Policy Paul A. Long. “In addition, Michigan is ranked first in the nation in terms of legislation that protects the dignity of all human life—a designation the Conference will fight to maintain by ensuring that any effort to permit human cloning is defeated in the legislature.”

Senate Bill 52, which was introduced in the State Senate last week, seeks to eliminate the term “embryo” from state law and to decriminalize human cloning to permit the destruction and cloning of the human embryo for research purposes. The legislation also fails to address the ground breaking stem cell successes that have been achieved through umbilical cord blood and other locations in the human body. Michigan Catholic Conference has consistently supported the use of adult stem cells for research purposes and has praised its advancements as scientists and researchers regularly add to the number of diseases that are being cured and treated with adult stem cells.

“Based on the outcome of Missouri’s human cloning amendment, we are now witnessing national and statewide attitudes shifting away from blind support for empty promises in favor of ethical and proven means to assist and even cure those who suffer from disabling conditions,” says Long. “Michigan residents are horrified by the thought of cloning and destroying human embryos, and are showing increased support for and awareness of the gains that have been made with adult stem cells, most recently regarding amniotic fluid.”

The Conference’s advocacy agenda was approved in December by its Board of Directors and released through FOCUS, a periodic essay distributed to all Catholic parishes, schools, institutions and other locations and individuals across the state. Below is a detailed listing of additional public policy issues that are of interest to the Conference in the areas of Religious Freedom, Human Life, Children and Families, Education, and Economic Justice and Regulatory Policies:

Religious Freedom

Human Life

Children and Families

Health Care

Education

Economic Justice and Regulatory Policies

Federal Issues

When addressing federal legislative issues, the Michigan Catholic Conference works in collaboration with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Only when the USCCB has taken a position on an issue will the MCC engage the Michigan congressional delegation.

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

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