Embryonic stem cell research: Does the end justify the means?

May 21, 3:21 PMOrlando Roman Catholic ExaminerMaria Mederos

Previous Next

11 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Orlando Roman Catholic Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

            (http://en.wikepedia.org/wiki/stem_cell)

The National Institutes of Health [NIH]  has accepted input on its proposed guidelines for embryonic stem cell research until May 26th.  You can express your opinion on this proposal by clicking here .

This proposal includes federally funded research utilizing human embryos that have been produced in vitro for artificial insemination. Though, the assumption is that this type of research is performed on frozen embryos that are already stored in fertility clinics, the new proposal also calls for allowing donors the option of choosing up-front whether they want to store these 'spare' embryos or donate them for research.  The proposal even allows for harvesting and cloning human embryos for the sole purpose of extracting needed material, destroying the unutilized remaining embryonic parts.  In these cases, human lives are taken in order to cure or improve the life of other human lives.

Stem cell research does have a very humane side to it.  The goal is to better understand the generation and development of human stem cells, which form all tissues in the body, in order to repair tissue on people suffering from a disease or medical condition.  There are different types of stem cells. Some cells are unipotent, meaning they create a single type of tissue, while some are multipotent because they can generate multiple types of tissue in the body.  Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent, meaning they can form or repair any body part, except the placenta. Only embryonic stem cells seem to be pluripotent, as far as we know.  However, the multipotent stem cells are useful in that they may generate or repair several body parts. These adult stem cells can be gathered from umbilical cords, blood, fat, bone marrow, muscle, and nerves, without doing any harm to the donor.  The Catholic Church does not oppose this type of stem cell research, since no human life is taken.

                                                                 (http://www.youtube.com)

Does this mean that the Catholic Church will never approve of stem cell technology that might help improve people's lives?  The answer is that the Church cannot approve of any type of human life destruction. However, an article in Wikipedia states that 'recently, it has been shown in principle that adult stem cell lines can be manipulated to generate embryonic-like stem cell lines using a single-cell biopsy similar to that used in preimplantation genetic diagnosis that may allow stem cell creation without embryonic destruction.' In other words, the fact that present technology does not have the means to use pluripotent stem cell technology without destroying embryos does not mean that something similar will not be discovered in the near future.

Another important fact to keep in mind is that so far, no therapeutic treatment has been discovered from the use of embryonic stem cells, but many cures and repairs have been documented on the use of adult stem cells, without harming donors, for conditions such as leukemia, spinal cord injuries, some types of cancer, and muscle damage, among others. Another Wikipedia article on stem cell research mentions that 'to date, no approved medical treatments have been derived from embryonic stem cell research. Adult stem cells and cord blood stems cells have thus far been the only stem cells used to successfully treat any diseases. Diseases treated by these non-embryonic stem cells include a number of blood and immune-system related genetic diseases.'  Thus, for now, holding back on the research of embryonic stem cells should not necessarily affect therapeutic treatment of sick or injured people, though it will allow us some time to deal with the bioethical issues involved.

The field of bioethics attempts to ask and answer questions dealing with medical and biological issues with ethical implications, especially in terms of human life. This philosophical field of knowledge is extremely important to Catholics, as it pertains to the sanctity of life issues that we feel so strongly about. On Article 6 on Moral Conscience #1789 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it states that some rules apply to all cases, such as 'one may never do evil so that good may result from it.' This is one of those handy rules that help with difficult life dilemmas.  It is another version of the 'ends do not justify the means' rule.  

In a way, this bioethics issue reminds me of moral dualism.  As long as the embryo is considered simply as 'tissue,' and not as a spiritual being, it seems fine to utilize and destroy it as needed.  It is the old  'spirit=good, body=bad' heresy, which Catholics have been fighting for centuries.  The human person is both body and spirit, from its very beginning, and entitled to its dignity and full protection.  No human life should be used or destroyed for another's benefit.

For more information:

http://www.usccb.org/stemcellcampaign/

http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics3.asp

http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/ethics.asp

http://www.isscr.org/public/ethics.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_cell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embryonic_stem_cell_research