personhood

Part 2 on Personhood By Thomas A. Glessner, Attorney at Law (Note: This is the second of a series of commentaries that discusses the concept of "personhood" and Constitutional protection for all "persons.") Dr. Suess, the beloved children's author, wrote a delightful children's story titled Horton Hears A Who. This is a story about a creature named Horton who discovers a tiny microscopic land named 'Whoville." Inhabiting this tiny world are creatures named "Whos" that are too tiny for the naked eye to see. However, Horton in making his discovery emphatically states on numerous occasions "a person's a person no matter how small." President Obama clearly lacked the wisdom of Horton this week when he issued an executive order allowing for the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Stem cells are primal cells found in all multi-cellular organisms. They retain the ability to renew themselves through mitotic cell division and can differentiate into a diverse range of specialized cell types. The three broad categories of stem cells are: 1) embryonic stem cells, which are derived from the inner cell mass of a human embryo and have the potential to develop into nearly all of the tissues in the body; 2) adult stem cells, which are unspecialized cells found in adult tissue that can renew themselves and become specialized to yield all of the cell types of the tissue from which they originate; and 3) cord blood stem cells, which are found in the umbilical cord. Some in the medical community believe that embryonic stem cell research could lead to therapies to effectively treat diseases such as Parkinson's disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. Due to human reproductive technology there are now many "excess" embryos that have

Part 1 on Personhood By Thomas A. Glessner, Attorney at Law (Note: This is the first of a series of commentaries that discusses the concept of "personhood" and Constitutional protection for all "persons.") The American ideals of equality and justice under the law have over the years inspired many to stand up for the oppressed. Indeed, numerous politicians (including our current president) have run for public office by declaring that they are for "the little guy" who has no voice or representation in our special interest inflicted political institutions. Yet, our president along with most of these politicians (with some notable exceptions) ignore and even work against the interests of the most vulnerable of these "little people" — the unborn. Dr. Suess, the beloved children's author, wrote a delightful children's story titled Horton Hears A Who. This is a story about a creature named Horton who discovers a tiny microscopic land named 'Whoville." Inhabiting this tiny world are creatures named "Whos" that are too tiny for the naked eye to see. However, Horton in making his discovery emphatically states on numerous occasions "a person's a person no matter how small." The United States Supreme Court clearly lacked the wisdom of Horton when it handed down it infamous decision of Roe v. Wade on January 22, 1973. It is too bad that Horton was not present in the courtroom on that day to remind the Justices of the Court that indeed, "a person's a person no matter how small." At the heart of the Roe decision was the declaration that an unborn child is not a person under the Fourteenth Amendment and thus, is not protected by the Constitution. This Amendment clearly states that "no state shall deny to any person ...