Friday, September 29, 2006

Calling Killing What It Is

Fr. Jerry Novotny, a Catholic missionary in Japan and a dynamic pro-life activist with a comprehensive and global vision, sent along these timely considerations:

The magic usage of words can lead to a "slippery slope". Here are three examples:

1. Harvest Embryos - this is a feel good word. "Bring in the crops." The end of a fruitful growing season. It falls pleasantly on our ears completely masking the reality of what is being done.


2. Destroy Embryos - Ah, this is better. But, we destroy things, like a broken chair. We don't kill a chair. So, to use this word, subtly dehumanizes these "things," thus, easing our conscience.


3. Kill Embroys - This is explicitly, exactly what is done. We only kill humans, so this abruptly identifies "the embryo" as a living human. The most accurate and pro-life wording here is "to kill a five day old living human embryo".