Bishops Condemn State Budget That Experiments on New Life

The New York State Catholic Conference, speaking on behalf of Edward Cardinal Egan and the Bishops of New York State, strongly condemned the agreement by Gov. Eliot Spitzer and the State Legislature to spend $600 million on research that will include human embryonic stem-cell research.

Only two members of the Legislature, Assembly Members Michael Benjamin (D-Bronx) and Mark Schroeder (D-Buffalo) spoke out against the plan from the floor.

Catholic Conference Executive Director Richard E. Barnes made the following statement today:

“This agreement is both fiscally irresponsible and morally indefensible. For the first time, the state of New York will be directly funding research that kills innocent human life. Furthermore, New York taxpayers will now fund human cloning research aimed at creating new embryos to kill. We are disappointed in Gov. Spitzer, who proposed such funding, Lieut. Gov. David Paterson who pushed for it, and Democrats and Republicans in both houses of the Legislature who authorized it. All of those legislators who agreed to and voted in favor of this budget now must fully come to terms with what they have done: sanction the experimentation and destruction of developing human beings. This is a tragic moment for New York State.”

Tuition Tax Credit Dead

The enacted state budget also eliminated a $1,000 tuition tax deduction that had been proposed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer. While the state Senate strongly supported and fought for the measure, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a close ally of the state’s powerful teachers unions, refused to consider it.

“This measure, a direct benefit to the hard-working families who seek a better future for their children was turned back by Sheldon Silver and the state’s teachers unions, whose advocacy has resulted in per student spending that is ranked second (and soon likely to be first) among the 50 states and graduation rates that are a scandalous 48th,” said Barnes.

“The Speaker was intractable in budget negotiations on this very small piece of an unprecedented $121 billion budget. While an additional promise of $2,500 per child on top of the $15,000 already being spent to be poured into public schools over the next four years, the Speaker could not see fit to give parents of children in independent and religious schools, who save the state $7.5 billion every single year, a deduction that amounts to about $68 per child.

“Unfortunately, in the end, Gov. Spitzer and the state Senate were unable to move Mr. Silver off of his stance. Instead, New York education policy will continue to be largely more of the same, and children will continue to suffer in communities all over the state, particularly in communities of color.

“It is heartbreaking to hear tales of failing inner city schools. And it is even more poignant when you consider that successful alternatives are available, if only our political leaders could lend a hand to those who can’t afford to move to a good district or pay private school tuition.

“Gov. Spitzer has indicated that this fight will continue. We know from this experience that he will have to fight harder than he first envisioned to secure passage of tax relief for tuition-paying families. These families demand justice; they will accept nothing less.”

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