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 Newman Center. 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 and in 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 the Church was
in the way of his Dad’s full recovery.
Fr Xavier Thelakkatt