ARE YOU THE GOOD EUGENECIST OR THE BAD EUGENICIST?:

Church and state in Italy (International Herald Tribune , JUNE 16, 2005)

The failed referendum to ease Italy's restrictive assisted-fertility law was the first test of the new pope's willingness to inject himself into politics, and the results were discouraging. Italian law, which defines every union of egg and sperm as the beginning of a human life, places severe limits on the creation and use of embryos, not only in the field of stem cell research but also in standard treatments for infertile couples. Heeding a call from the Italian bishops' conference, supported by Pope Benedict XVI, enough voters boycotted the referendum to render it invalid. The Catholic Church has every right to create its own doctrine on such issues for the faithful, to enforce them within the church, and to make its views public. But using the power of the pulpit to urge people to stay away from the ballot box is not a religious act, but an antidemocratic one. It is unacceptable interference.

It'd be helpful if the same folks didn't then complain that the Church didn't do enough to stop the last Holocaust.

Posted by Orrin Judd at June 16, 2005 6:31 AM