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Q: How does the Church feel about stem-cell research, specifically embryonic stem cell research ?
- Matthew
A: Dear Matthew:
Within certain guidelines, the Church supports scientific experiments on human individuals or groups which "can contribute to healing the sick and the advancement of public health". (Catechism: 2292) This would include stem-cell research as a means of developing cures for such diseases as diabetes, Alzheimers, multiple sclerosis and so on.
As you read the following answer to your question, especially the parts dealing with scientific details, please bear in mind that I am not a scientist, and specifically not a geneticist. My explanations come from material I have read, as opposed to studied, and I claim no expertise in medical matters.
As you are no doubt aware, stem cells can be obtained from a number of sources, such as adult bone marrow, the placenta, and the extra cord blood; that is, the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta following birth. All of these methods are acceptable to the Church. Obtaining stem cells from the human embryo, however, destroys the embryo, and therefore the Church opposes the harvesting of embryonic stem cells on the grounds that in doing so we are killing a human being in the early stages of development; in effect, aborting a child. Research is prohibited by the Church in such cases because it involves "acts that are in themselves contrary to the dignity of persons and to the moral law." (Catechism: 2295)
In the abortion debate there are still some who argue that the embryo is not a human being at all, but little more than a clump of cells. That argument, however, is being heard less and less, as medical science uncovers more information about the developing child. Many, if not most, doctors and medical scientists now believe in the full humanity of the embryo. Here we will quote but two: first, the late Dr. Hymie Gordon, MD, FRCP, who was co-founder and co-chair of the Program in Human Rights and Medicine at the University of Minnesota, Professor Emeritus of Medical Genetics at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, and founder and director of the Mayo Clinic's program in medical genetics:
"But now we can say unequivocally that the question of when human life begins is no longer a question for theological or philosophical dispute. It is an established fact. Theologians and philosophers may go on to debate the meaning of life or the purpose of life, but it is an established fact that all life, including human life, begins at the moment of conception."
The second statement is from the late Dr. Jerome Lejeune, recognized by many as the father of modern genetics, who said the following when testifying before a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee in the United States:
"As soon as the 23 paternally derived chromosomes are united, through fertilization, to the 23 maternal ones, the full genetic information necessary and sufficient to express all the inborn qualities of the new individual is gathered. Exactly as the introduction of a minicassette inside a tape recorder will allow the restitution of the symphony, the new being begins to express himself as soon as he has been conceived...To accept the fact that, after fertilization has taken place, a new human has come into being is no longer a matter of taste or of opinion. The human nature of the human being from conception to old age is not a metaphysical contention. It is plain experimental evidence."
Years ago one might have thought, or hoped, that such statements would have ended the embryonic stem cell debate. Instead, there has emerged a frightening utilitarianism which argues that, notwithstanding its status as a developing human, the embryo or fetus can still be killed if its death is judged by society to bring about some social or medical benefit.
This is the argument put forward by some of those who promote embryo stem-cell research; namely, that killing the human embryo is justified because the research may lead to cures for certain diseases, possibly prolonging or even saving the lives of many people. The Church, however, rejects such arguments, because no matter how well-intentioned the motives, or potentially beneficial the research, if the means are immoral then such means can never be sanctioned. The Church realizes that if we justify and accept the killing of a human person in the embryo stage, for whatever benefit might ensue, there eventually will be calls for the killing of human beings at other stages of life or under different circumstances, such as the infirm, the elderly or the dying, all for supposedly great benefits to individuals or society. It is this that the Church seeks to prevent.
It should be noted that stem-cell research is still in its infancy, and there is much about it that is unknown. The earliest results pointed to embryonic stem cells as the most valuable, in that they are 'totipotent'; that is, they are capable of developing into any cell in the body, a versatility at first hailed by researchers as offering the greatest chance of success. Later research, however, has begun to reveal other promising ways of obtaining stem cells, methods that do not involve the killing of the embryo; namely, harvesting them from adult bone marrow and blood. In recent years, scientists have identified stem cells in adult humans which can replace cells that have died or are damaged. Researchers have found adult stem cells for blood and for nerves, and many believe that the discovery of other stem cells in adults is on the horizon. So far adult stem cell treatment has been used successfully to treat those suffering from spinal cord injuries, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, lupus, Crohn's disease, ocular degeneration, blindness, heart disease, leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, aplastic anemia, and sickle cell anemia.
Unfortunately, no such success has been achieved through embryonic stem cell research. Four years ago, as reported by the New England Journal of Medicine, the implanting of fetal cells into the brains of some Parkinson's patients provided no benefit, and in a few cases produced some unfortunate side effects.
The Church shares the desire of all us to find cures for these terrible diseases, and we have to hope and pray that medical scientists, always acting in an ethical manner, will one day be successful in bringing relief to the many sufferers.
God bless,
Father Norbert