AN OPEN LETTER

Post Date: December 15, 2006

We Could Use Your Help

by Robert D. Orr, M.D., C.M.

I am writing to urge you to strongly consider making a donation to support the ongoing work of the Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity. Perhaps you have never contemplated doing such a thing. Or maybe you think that what little you could contribute would not make much of a difference. You may even have assumed from the many projects in which CBHD is involved that we are well funded.

Well, let me be frank. We need your help. When the Center began in 1993, we were able to secure some start-up grant funding. Without that support, we would not have gotten off the ground, so we are thankful to God and to those agencies for the jump-start. However, funding agencies are disinclined to provide on-going support for non-profit organizations. While we continue to pursue grant support, the reality is that the bulk of the funding for our daily work must come from individual donations.

The dilemmas in bioethics—stem cell research, cloning, genetics, reproductive issues, end-of-life issues—are all around us, in the news, in our legislatures, perhaps even in our personal lives. Many entities address these issues, but most follow a utilitarian ethic. A few address these issues from a religious perspective. But very few indeed address these issues from an evangelical perspective, placing the biblical precept of the sanctity of individual human life at the top of our analytical assessment.

The Center exists to equip thought leaders to engage the issues of bioethics using the tools of rigorous research, conceptual analysis, charitable critique, leading-edge publication, and effective teaching. I encourage you to explore our website and to avail yourself of some of the many printed or electronic resources we have developed over the past several years.

The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity is the preeminent evangelical voice on these matters in professional and lay discussions of bioethics. We partner closely with Christian professional organizations such as the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, Christian Nurses Fellowship, the Christian Legal Society, and Americans United for Life.

This past year has been particularly difficult for the Center from a financial standpoint. We have had a change in leadership, a careful re-evaluation of programs, and some staffing cutbacks to make ends meet. We could use your help.

To donate online:

https://ssl.perfora.net/cbhd.org/membership/checkout.htm

To donate by check:

The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity
2065 Half Day Road
Bannockburn, IL  60015

For more information about The Center

About the Center

Robert D. Orr, M.D., C.M., is Consultant on Clinical Ethics at The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity, Clinical Ethicist at Fletcher Allen Health Care and Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Vermont College of Medicine.* In addition, Dr. Orr chairs CBHD's Advisory Board.

* For identification purposes only; does not imply support for CBHD by the University of Vermont, the College of Medicine, or Fletcher Allen Health Care.

Copyright 2006 by The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity

The contents of this article do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CBHD, its staff, board or supporters. Permission to reprint granted as long as The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity and the web address for this article is referenced.