By Mary Knapke

DAYTON DEANERY — Pro-life advocates often are able to utilize powerful images of the unborn in the promotion of their cause. Even in the early stages of development, the evident humanity of the fetus — with tiny eyes, ears, fingers and toes — can evoke an intense emotional response.

But how should pro-life activists work to elicit the same sense of connection with the embryo, which does not yet bear the physical characteristics many people can easily identify with? That was the question posed by Dr. Dennis Sullivan at the fifth annual Pro-Life Science and Technology Symposium held Sept. 20 at the Engineers Club of Dayton. Sullivan, director of the Center for Bioethics at Cedarville University, delivered the symposium’s keynote address, "Ethics and the Embryo: Ohio Right to Life DVD Project."

The "Ethics and the Embryo" DVD project is a collaborative effort between Cedarville University and Ohio Right to Life (ORTL). The DVD will be produced by Cedarville University and used by ORTL in a variety of educational settings. As part of his presentation, Sullivan invited symposium participants to contribute their ideas regarding the content of the DVD.

Sullivan acknowledged that "the emotional appeal" of images of embryos from conception to eight weeks is not as great as images showing later stages of fetal development. In spite of that, "there is continuity from the moment of conception when the new life begins until birth and afterwards," Sullivan said. "I am the same person as I was when I was 10 years old ... and the same person who was in my mother’s womb. That continuity goes all the way back to the moment of conception."
Sullivan added that the concept of continuity becomes particularly significant in the context of what some have called "the biotech century." Medical technologies such as in vitro fertilization and stem cell research lend new urgency to the ethical questions that surround them. Sullivan said the answer lies in education, and he hopes the DVD project will be an effective part of that effort.

Christi Dodson, executive director of Dayton Right to Life and a member of the ORTL board of directors, said she hopes the "Ethics and the Embryo" DVD will have a considerable impact on bioethics issues.

"This project represents the future of the movement: collaboration," Dodson said. "Being able to bring science, research, a physician, a statewide organization and college and local leaders in the community together for an educational piece for the nation and the world is the future of pro-life advocacy." She added that the DVD project "sets a precedent for future collaboration and projects in the pro-life movement promoting utilization of the best information, resources and research available."

David Banaszak, a member of the symposium organizing committee, agreed that science and technology play an integral role in pro-life advocacy.

"Advances in science and technology continually enhance the scientific fact that human life begins at conception," Banaszak said. "The symposium is a forum for technical experts to network, discuss science and technology advances and provide the public at large [with] the latest scientific and technical information."

The symposium’s sponsoring organization, LifeTech, presented Sullivan with an award for the symposium’s best paper. Sullivan said he has been associated with LifeTech for four years. According to the organization’s Web site, LifeTech was established as the Ohio Right to Life Technology Task Force to provide ORTL with technical advice. Now an independent organization, the group works to apply the work of technical professionals to the cause of pro-life advocacy.

Production on Ethics and the Embryo is scheduled to begin at Cedarville University in January. Sullivan serves as professor of biology at Cedarville University, where he has been on the faculty since 1996. Cedarville University’s Center for Bioethics was established in 2006.