Is Embryonic Stem-Cell Research Immoral?
Answer: No. As with other medical advances, it can, potentially, be a godsend.
Human stem cells, which can develop into other kinds of cells, are found in tissues of both embryos and adults. In embryos, they can develop into any kind of specialized cell, including, for example, blood cells, nerve cells, liver cells, or skin cells. Before they become specialized, they are not recognized as "foreign" when they are transplanted into other individuals. Stem cells, therefore, could potentially be used to replace all kinds of diseased tissue without experiencing the problems associated with organ or tissue rejection. It is not clear yet the extent to which stem cells, once they become specialized, can be changed into other types of cells. Based on current technology, therefore, stem cells from embryos hold the most promise for curing diseases. Sources of embryonic stem cells include: (1) tissue taken from early fetuses before they are disposed of, (2) frozen embryos that are about to be disposed of at fertility clinics and (3) human eggs that are artificially activated by inserting human DNA. Many people, for moral or religious reasons, object to destroying embryos for research purposes even though they would be destroyed anyway. We view this controversy as a classic example of having to choose between being legalistic about religion and showing compassion.
Jesus once told a lawyer that, to have eternal life, he must love his neighbor as himself.1 Wanting to justify his failure to keep this commandment, he asked Jesus: And who is my neighbor? Jesus explained by telling him the story of a man who lay dying after being beaten, stripped of his clothing, and robbed. A priest came along and avoided getting near the man, apparently observing religious laws concerning priests having contact with someone who has died.2 Another man of the priestly order of Levites also passed by and did likewise. A Samaritan, however, had compassion for the stranger. He bound up his wounds, put him upon his beast, and took him to an inn where he paid an innkeeper to care for him until he could return. Samaritans were looked upon by the Jews as unclean according to their religious laws.3 Nevertheless, when Jesus asked the Jewish lawyer who among the travelers fulfilled the law by being a neighbor to the dying man, he answered rightly, saying: He that showed mercy on him. Jesus, therefore, told the lawyer to go and do likewise.
From the time that Moses first gave the law, people who try to follow it have been forced to choose between keeping a commandment and showing mercy. Many of the issues we face today require us to make this choice, such as deciding whether to provide drug addicts with clean needles, young people with protection against sexually transmitted diseases, and gay couples with civil liberties. Certainly, there is no clearer example of choosing between legalistic religion and compassion than deciding whether to support stem-cell research. This research can potentially save countless lives and relieve great suffering. Even before these objectives are reached, hope can be given immediately to people who, otherwise, have no hope. The alternative is to let countless people suffer and die hopelessly for purely religious or so-called moral reasons.
References
1 Lk 10:25-37
2 Lev 21:1-3, 11; Num 19:11-22
3 Jn 4:9
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