How could stem cell research be morally wrong?
Dale was a student at the University and his friend told him that the Catholic Church was against stem cell research which could benefit many patients like his Dad who was paralyzed below the waist in an accident. Dale felt embarrassed about the Church, to which he belonged. He could not understand how any research could be objectionable. He addressed the question to Fr. Greg who was the pastor at the NewmanCenter. They had a very enlightening meeting the following day.
All human beings created in the image and likeness of God, have a God-given right to life. No one should take it away. As human beings we have a duty to defend that right, especially for the most vulnerable in the society. That is why the Church speaks clearly and strongly against abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, capital punishment, etc. Catholic Church has a consistent ethic of life and always decries crimes against life.
A stem cell is a special type of cell found in all human beings. They are found in animals as well. Stem cells have a couple of important characteristics: they can reproduce themselves over a long period of time without changing, and they have the capability to produce other types of specialized cells, such as brain cells, muscle cells, lung cells, etc. Therefore scientists believe that research on stem cells is the most promising approach to developing potential treatments or cures for dozens of diseases. There are a number of different places from which stem cells can be obtained: Bone marrow, fat cells,umbilical cord blood, adult blood etc. can be used to harvest adult stem cells without any harm to a human person. Human embryo is also used to obtain stem cells andin this case the embryo has to be killed for that purpose; here, the innocent life of a human being is involved.
Scientists often talk about using "leftover" embryos, those created in a petri dish but not used for implantation in a woman's uterus. The Catholic Church's objection is to creating life this way - used only for research. Human life is created but deliberately prevented from reaching its full potential.
Can we deal with human embryos like that? In his 1995 encyclical The Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II wrote: "Human embryos obtained in vitro are human beings and are subjects with rights; their dignity and right to life must be respected from the first moment of their existence. It is immoral to produce human embryos destined to be exploited as disposable 'biological material.'" The life of every individual, from its very beginning, is a part of God’s plan. The Lord says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you” (Jer 1:5).
Fr. Greg gave Dale the print out of a letter from Cardinal Justin Regali addressed to the members of the United States Congress dated January 7, 2007. Among other things, it said, “On a practical level, embryonic stem cell research has been as disappointing in its results as it has been divisive to our society. After almost three decades of research in mouse embryonic stem cell and nine years in the human variety, researchers can scarcely point out to a safe and effective ‘cure’ for any condition in mice let alone human beings.”
The Catholic Church is not against stem cell research. Adult stem cell research is on without any hindrance. It is the killing of human embryos that the Church disapproves. So far,research on embryonic stem cells has not yielded any beneficial result.
The conversations with Fr. Greg helped Dale to make sense of the political debate about embryonic stem cell research. He was strongly convinced that the tax-payer’s money should not be used for any research involving destruction of human embryos. On the other hand, he could only sympathize with his friend who did not understand all the nuances of the issue, but simply believed that theChurch was in the way of his Dad’s full recovery.
Fr Xavier Thelakkatt