Genetic Testing

Researchers are trying to determine if certain genotypes (genetic codes) give people a higher likelihood of suffering from diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, alcoholism, etc. Ohio Right to Life welcomes advances in knowledge about the human genome (the complete set of genetic material carried within the DNA molecule) that will help doctors and researchers cure diseases and care for those suffering from genetically-linked conditions.

The danger in genetic testing is that science's ability to diagnose some diseases by examining a person's genetic make-up has far outrun medicine's ability to cure and treat those diseases. Thus genetic testing is now used to identify pre-born children with "defective" genetic codes and then kill them through abortion. Increasingly, genetic testing appears to be used toward eugenic purposes. That is, certain "undesirable" genetic traits are identified and then eliminated - by eliminating the person who has those traits.

As the late ethicist Paul Ramsey tirelessly reminded doctors and researchers, the goal of medicine and science should always be to care for patients, never to kill them.

Population

"The most merciful thing a large family can do for one of its infant members is to kill it," wrote Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, in 1920.

Tragically, this proposal to solve social and economic problems by killing people is central to the mentality fostered by abortion-on-demand. In particular, abortion advocates claim that abortion is necessary to reverse what they see as the "problem of overpopulation" in the world.

The political and economic arguments about world population tend to ignore the more fundamental question at stake: since when did it become morally acceptable policy to solve social problems by killing millions of people?

Abortion is an act of violence that kills an unborn child and hurts the mother who has one. True compassion for people in difficult circumstances involves not killing them but caring for their physical, economic, emotional, and spiritual needs. Ohio Right to Life affirms that people are gifts to be cherished, not problems to eliminated.

The top ten countries in the world, based on highest total population:

Country

997 Population

(in Millions)

2000 Population

(in Millions)

China

,237

,264

India

970

,002

USA

268

275

Indonesia

204

212

Brazil

60

70

Russia

47

45

Pakistan

38

50

Japan

26

26

Bangladesh

22

28

Nigeria

07

23