As one passes from childhood to adulthood, the summer, which was once a time for rest and relaxation, turns into a time for gainful employment. And so, in early July, I embarked upon my second summer working at Campaign Life Coalition. Since I come from a solidly pro-life family and had taken a great course on moral issues from another solid pro-lifer at St. Michael’s College School in Toronto, David Fischer, I thought I was already well-versed in these issues. Even so, this summer I learned about some of the most pressing problems of our day. I completed the CLC summer course on euthanasia, available to second-year students, and taught the abortion course to the first-year students.
Perhaps the most critical issue confronting us this summer was embryonic stem cell research. I had the privilege of working with Dr. John Shea, one of the foremost experts in this field, in preparing briefings for members of Parliament and for the press. I was struck by how many false promises have been made about research on embryos and how little is made of the good results already obtained from research on adult stem cells. Dr. Shea is truly one of the great lights in the pro-life movement.
So is Jim Hughes. I spent part of this summer typing Jim’s letters and I became more aware of the breadth of issues Jim faces everyday. One of his biggest problems is lack of funds. Of course, by working at Campaign Life Coalition, we know all about frugality. Working on the fourth floor of an old office, we climb 47 steps each morning, and in those unbearable heat waves, we were without air conditioning.
