Irenic Thoughts

Irenic. The word means peaceful. This web log (or blog) exists to create an ongoing, and hopefully peaceful, series of comments on the life of King of Peace Episcopal Church. This is not a closed community. You are highly encouraged to comment on any post or to send your own posts.

7/20/2006

Stem Cell Research


As you have likely heard, President Bush used his first veto yesterday against a bill that would extend federal funding to additional areas of stem cell research. Here's a Reuter's article: Bush casts first veto to block stem cell bill. My religion column for tomorrow's Tribune & Georgian is The Ethics of Stem Cell Research in which I try to fill in some of what stem cell research is and why some have problems with the use of embryonic stem cells even as I hold out that we should offer funding incentives for adult stem cell research.

The debate is one of whether the ends (groundbreaking new treatments for a variety of serious health problems) justifies the means (ending the life of an embryo to create the stem cell line). Roughly 2/3s of Americans agree with embryonic stem cell research using embryos created for in vitro fertilization, which would be destroyed whether they are used in stem cell research or not.

No matter which direction this political football bounces, I am pleased to see an effort being made to keep what is possible somewhat in check by considering what is ethical. I can not offer an expert's opinion of the research, but I like to hold up this type of issue in my religion column from time to time to show how our faith might intersect with decision making in what could be seen as other areas of our lives.

What do you think?

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor + King of Peace Episcopal Church

PS: Other ethics-related columns have included Approving torture would kill the soul of U.S. and Support our troops with more than ribbons and The Ethics of Cloning.

posted by King of Peace @ Thursday, July 20, 2006  

3 Comments:

  • At 7/20/2006 6:57 PM, Blogger CS said…

    Despite a clear majority opinion that stem cell research is vital and despite the vast good that research could bring us, we have a president who vetoes the funding. A president who wilfully opposes the wishes of the country. And yet funding for war is okay. It would seem that Bush feels killing soldiers and another country's citezenry is more palatable than using already discarded tissue. In my book, THAT is a sin.

    - Carol

     

  • At 7/20/2006 10:22 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    While I may not agree with all his political stands, I do appreciate that our president has the courage to go against the majority from time to time. After all, I believe the Children of Israel spent 40 years wandering in the desert because they followed the majority when that majority was wrong.

    For me the ethics of using discarded embryos for research goes to the ethics of in vitro fertilization in a world populated with unwanted children. Do we really need to be making kids to freeze when there are so many around the world are literally dying for the lack of a home? I doubt that those people who are willing to donate their "extra" embryos to science would be appalled at the idea of donating their newborns.

     

  • At 7/21/2006 3:22 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Bush's decision doesn't stop stem cell research at all. It merely keeps the federal government from spending money on it.

    There are many states that are already spending their taxpayers' money in this area. There are also companies that are spending to try to find the "miracle" cures "promised" by stem cell researchers.

    After some research, I've found that there are equally promising and already proven benefits to be gained from adult stem cell (ASC) research rather than the embryonic stem cell (ESC) research to which Bush has shown his opposition by taking this action.

    Aside from the very clear moral quandary from which ESC suffers, there's also the fact that very little real progress has been shown by anyone in these studies.

    Let's face it. If these studies had shown any real promise, private companies in the United States would be all over it in hopes of reaping an enormous windfall.

    Meanwhile, ASC continues to charge ahead showing results as well as continued promise with both private and public funding free of the moral dilemmas that harvesting children carries.

    Kenny

     

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