Focus on the Family Demands Global Halt to In Vitro Fertilization

Standard methods lead to death of thousands of unborn children

Colorado Springs, Colo. — EMBARGOED UNTIL June 6, 2005 Focus on the Family Founder Dr. James Dobson, today called for an immediate worldwide halt to all in vitro fertilization procedures. “This procedure almost always results in the death of unborn children, often several unborn children die for each successful attempt. I said it regarding stem cell research and it’s time to apply it to in vitro fertilization --it is never morally or ethically justifiable to kill one human being in order to benefit another.”

In addition to calling a halt to these procedures, Focus on the Family will be funding a number of lawsuits against clinics that support these procedures, doctors who perform them and couples who partake in IVF. “On behalf of the thousands of babies trapped in freezers who can’t speak for themselves, we will be their voice in court. And yes, in accordance with Exodus 21:22-25 we will be seeking the death penalty for doctors, clinic administrators and couples who allowed their unborn children to be killed in an experimental procedure. The bible compels us to take the life of anyone who is responsible for the death of these unborn children and who has been found guilty of a capital offense in a legal trial. The Scriptures are clear that the state alone is ordained by God to "bear the sword" and "execute wrath on the wrongdoer." (Position statement on Violence against abortionists)

The announcement comes following the release of the Focus on the Family’s Position Statement on Stem Cell Research.

Focus on the Family opposes stem cell research using human embryos. In order to isolate and culture embryonic stem cells, a living, human embryo must be killed. It is never morally or ethically justifiable to kill one human being in order to benefit another. By requiring the destruction of embryos — the tiniest human beings — embryonic stem cell research violates the medical ethic, “Do No Harm.”

“The stem cell debate finally brought this issue into focus for us. No person that calls themselves a Christian should be involved in IVF. It is morally inconsistent to say we support a culture of life and then prepare tiny babies to die in a test tube or to languish in a freezer never knowing God’s love.” said Carrie Gordon Earll, Senior Policy Analyst for Bioethics at Focus on the Family and a fellow with the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity. “We regret having to prosecute Christians who thought that IVF was different than abortion, but as Exodus 21:22-25, NIV tells us, “If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.’

“Activist judges that have allowed abortion are being replaced with judges who are more constitutional originalists.” stated Bruce Hausknecht, the Judicial Analyst for Focus on the Family, “The pressure that Focus on the Family members have been putting on congress, senators and the President have really been paying off. We fully expect these new judges to support our lawsuits and ultimately God’s law.” Said Hausknecht.

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NOTE: This is a parody press release. Although quotes were made up, the majority of this fake press release was based on documents found on the Focus for the Family website. If you don’t believe me look at the links yourself. If you don’t think this is funny, but scary because it seems like a logical next step for Focus on the Family, then you got the ‘joke’.

The truth is that the greatest enemies to the doctrines of Jesus are those calling themselves the expositors of them, who have perverted them for the structure of a system of fantasy absolutely incomprehensible, and without any foundation in his genuine words. And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter. But we may hope that the dawn of reason and freedom of thought in these United States will do away with all this artificial scaffolding, and restore to us the primitive and genuine doctrines of this the most venerated reformer of human errors.

As the "silent member" of the Congress, Thomas Jefferson, at 33, drafted the Declaration of Independence. In years following he labored to make its words a reality in Virginia. Most notably, he wrote a bill establishing religious freedom, enacted in 1786.