There was an interesting development last week in the battle over human embryos. A Chicago judge ruled a couple could sue a fertility lab over the fatal loss of their embryo according to Illinois' Wrongful Death Act.
The lawsuit arose after the Center for Human Reproduction in Chicago accidentally destroyed a frozen embryo it was supposed to have stored for a husband and wife, Alison Miller and Todd Parish, in 2000.

Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Lawrence wrote in his Feb. 4, 2005, decision, "Philosophers and theologians may debate, but there is no doubt in the mind of the Illinois Legislature when life begins. It begins at conception."

Historically speaking, Lawrence is correct. Illinois has some of the strictest laws of all the states to protect what it calls the "unborn child" from conception onward. (That is, protected from all but his or her mother, who can abort with wild abandon in this schizophrenic state – also known as the "abortion capital of the Midwest." But that's another column.)

The Wrongful Death Act couldn't be clearer. It assures accountability for harm caused regardless of "the state of gestation or development of a human being when an injury is cased, when an injury takes effect, or at death."

In addition, Illinois was the first state to enact a fetal homicide law following the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. It provides comprehensive protection against killing the "unborn child," defined as "any individual of the human species from fertilization until birth." This bill served as a model for many of the fetal homicide laws now passed in 30 other states.

Illinois is also one of only 12 states that penalizes battery against the "unborn child," defined again as "any individual of the human species from fertilization until birth."

Juxtapose these noble laws, enacted when indeed there was "no doubt in the mind of the Illinois Legislature when life begins ... at conception," to the laws being proposed by today's Illinois Legislature, and you can only conclude the majority has gone bonkers.

Today's sorry excuse for officials elected to protect the people of the Land of Lincoln are expending their energy pursuing a law to kill human embryos via embryonic stem-cell experimentation. Not only is this research wildly speculative, it would cost Illinois taxpayers $1 billion, if the latest referendum idea is hatched.

But I wonder: Would passage of an Illinois law sanctioning the destruction of human embryos violate other Illinois laws protecting them from harm?

I also wonder: Do other states where legislators are pushing embryonic stem-cell experimentation have similar contrary laws?

I guess these would be mere legal speed bumps for hell-driven politicians to bounce over on their quest to force this public-funded madness on us. Campaign contributions and bond-issue kickbacks make the pursuit worth their while.

Speaking of madness, and bringing this column full circle, here's another point for legislators to ponder as they consider opening Pandora's Box. Remember the Center for Human Reproduction – the Chicago fertility clinic that carelessly killed the tiny embryo causing all the ruckus in the news this week? The Center recently made other news.

In 2003, its founder, Dr. Norbert Gleicher, publicized his "research" – transplanting human male cells into 3-day-old female human embryos. He said he grew the "hybrid" in his lab for six days before destroying "it."

Gleicher defended his "research" stating, "We used embryos that were specially donated for this purpose and that had been frozen."

Where have I heard that rationale before, that "these embryos will be discarded anyway, so why not use them for research"?

Is this the type of "research" legislators wish to attract and have us pay for?

If not, do they really think they can add enough amendments to their embryonic research laws to preclude every idea a mad scientist will concoct to experiment on a poor ... um ... what did Gleicher call it? Oh, yes, that's right ... a human "it.