Have you seen the newly released Dr. Seuss movie, Horton Hears a Who?  It’s a computer-animated film based on the book of the same name.

Although written in the 1950’s, the book’s message is quite relevant today.

The story begins with a chance encounter between an elephant named Horton and a speck of dust.  Someone on this speck cries out for help, and Horton, with his big ears, is able to hear him. 

Here’s an excerpt from the book:

“Why I think that there must Be someone on top of that small speck of dust!  Some sort of a creature of very small size,  Too small to be seen by an elephant’s eyes…some poor little person who’s shaking with fear… I’ll just have to save him.  Because, after all, A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

The story is analogous to the current debate over human embryonic stem cell research (as well as ‘discarding’ frozen embryos and using some contraceptive devices which abort embryos).

At the heart of these issues is the human embryo, which is destroyed for some perceived benefit to us.

We, too, were once embryos - no larger than a speck of dust.  Fortunately, we had a Horton (our mother) to protect us.

In the story, the other jungle animals can’t see or hear the people on the dust speck, so they refuse to believe there’s life on it, call Horton a fool, and say he’s out of his head.

Similarly, our naked eye can’t see a person at the embryonic stage, so many refuse to acknowledge that human life is present.  Moreover, those who defend the embryo’s life are considered to be carrying things a bit too far.  After all, what harm could there be in killing someone we can’t even see? 

Nevertheless, people continue speaking out against embryonic stem cell research, because they know in their heart, “A person’s a person no matter how small.”

As the story continues, Horton discovers there’s actually an entire city on the speck of dust.  In the same way, today we are learning how incredibly complex the human embryo is. 

The DNA in the single cell that we are at conception contains over 3 billion sequences of instructions that will determine every facet of our physical make-up. 

Not only that, but the information storage capacity of DNA is tremendously more advanced than anything we have created.  One cubic centimeter of DNA material could store enough information to fill one trillion CD’s! ¹

Is it by chance, then, that our DNA and the instructions written on it came into existence?  Many scientists who didn’t believe in God now realize there must be a higher power at work precisely because of these incredible discoveries.

Yet, some still argue they have a right to destroy human embryos.

Fortunately, the book has a happy ending.  The other animals finally realize there is life on the speck of dust, so they forgo boiling it in “Beezle-Nut oil”.

Like Horton, let us defend the rights of others no matter how small they may be, because, as Horton kept reiterating, “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

If we stay true to our word, one day society will recognize the value of life in the tiny speck we all started out as - the human embryo.