IN THEORY:Should lawmakers focus on alternatives to embryonic stem cell research?

Researchers recently discovered a way to reprogram ordinary cells from mice that would make them virtually like embryonic stem cells, sidestepping the ethical debate over the use of embryonic stem cells.

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney called on lawmakers to approve funding for this type of research.

Should lawmakers focus more on finding alternatives to embryonic stem cell research?

Without any hesitation, the response of the Catholic Church is a resounding yes, for the following reasons:

Embryonic stem cell research involves the killing of the living human embryo, and the Catholic Church opposes the direct destruction of innocent human life for any purpose, including research.

Our moral theology tradition maintains that we may not use a good end to justify an evil means.

Moreover, treatments that do not require destroying any human life are at least as promising, as evidenced in the referenced dramatic scientific study report on reprogramming ordinary cells, thus providing a limitless supply of cell lines without any ethical problematic and resulting in the desired therapeutic benefits.

The choice is not between science and ethics, but between science that is ethically responsible and science that is not.

The possible danger is that our envisioned progress toward cures employing stem cell research will be halted or slowed by campaigns that divert attention and resources toward embryonic stem cell research while underappreciating and underfunding other very promising stem cell avenues.

President Bush alluded to this reality in his message Wednesday when he insisted that pluripotent stem cells be “derived by ethically responsible techniques.”

We Americans should not be compelled by lawmakers to support the deliberate destruction or discarding of human beings who too possess our sacred constitutional protection of the inalienable right to life.

Msgr. Lawrence J. Baird

Pastor

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church

Newport Beach

Yes! Even before this new option, there has been the option of using umbilical cord stem cells that don’t seem popular with the public but also show amazing potential. Unfortunately, this debate seems to have spun beyond reality and is driven more by political passion than by scientific discovery.

Those of us who favor the protection of embryos are not against stem cell research.

Please hear that!

Fortunately, the president has forced scientists to be creative and find even more humane ways of achieving the same results. This is the responsible path. We cannot violate the dignity of human life because we want a McDonald’s fast food cure to disease. We forget that past generations didn’t even have half the hope of cures that we do.

We do not have a right to a cure in our generation at the expense of others. We must do this right or the future will pay.

Ric Olsen

Lead Pastor

A Refuge of Hope

Anaheim