RESOLUTION #6 – REGARDING THE SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE: STEM CELL RESEARCH AND PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION

WHEREAS, all life is sacred from the point of conception (Exodus 20:13; Psalm 139:13-16); and

WHEREAS, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention has historically affirmed the sanctity of human life; and

WHEREAS, all human life is God’s prerogative and embryonic stem cell research involves the destruction of a human life; and the practice of abortion is still far too common; and partial-birth abortions are still permitted by court order in certain states despite the law; and

WHEREAS, embryonic stem cell research has to this point produced no successful therapies for known diseases; and, therapeutic success, in any case, would not provide ethical justification for the destruction of human life; and

WHEREAS, adult stem cells have proven to be adaptable and useable for therapies now in over 70 diseases; and

WHEREAS, personal and corporate gains are being put ahead of the value of human life;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the messengers to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, meeting in Plano, Texas, October 25-26, 2004, will be well-informed citizens on these issues through the fine resources of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and others; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we stand firm in the fight for all human life and that we encourage all governmental officials within our sphere of influence to do the same; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that we not only support The Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act and those governmental officials who stand behind it, but that we urge them to go further to end all abortions.