Catholics enthused over stem-cell breakthrough

Washington (CNS) -- Scientists, ethicists and Church leaders -- including the bishops of New York State -- have hailed as a breakthrough two studies showing that human skin cells can be reprogrammed to work as effectively as embryonic stem cells, thus negating the need to destroy embryos in the name of science.

Separate studies from teams led by Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University in Japan, and by Junying Yu and James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison were published last week by the journals Cell and Science, respectively.

By adding four genes to the skin cells, the scientists were able to create stem cells that genetically match the donor and have the ability to become any of the 220 types of cells in the human body.

'Ethical direction'

"The methods outlined in these papers fully conform to what we have hoped to see for some time," said a statement from the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. "Such strategies should continue to be pursued and strongly promoted, as they should help to steer the entire field of stem-cell research in a more explicitly ethical direction by circumventing the moral quagmire associated with destroying human embryos."

Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, welcomed the news, expressing gratitude "for scientists who took up the challenge of finding morally acceptable ways to pursue stem-cell research, and for government leaders who have encouraged and funded such avenues."

He added that the new technology "avoids the many ethical land mines associated with embryonic stem-cell research: It does not clone or destroy human embryos, does not harm or exploit women for their eggs, and does not blur the line between human beings and other species through desperate efforts to make human embryos using animal eggs."

Vatican view

Bishop Elio Sgreccia, president of the Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life, said, "If this technique is validated, it would be a historic discovery."

He added that the results demonstrate that "it is not true that the Church is against research, only that it is against bad research, research which damages human beings, in this case the human embryo."

Bishop Sgreccia said it is a shame that so many human embryos have been destroyed and so many millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on embryonic stem-cell research when better results have been obtained without destroying embryos.

New York bishops

The New York State Catholic Conference, which speaks for the bishops in matters of public policy, hailed the breakthrough and urged the state government to pursue the research with funds earmarked in the state budget for stem-cell research.

Kathleen Gallagher, director of pro-life activities for the Conference, said the announcement "marks the dawn of a new age for ethical scientific research and discovery. Beyond the fact that scientists will no longer need to create and destroy human embryos in a laboratory setting, the new process eliminates the need for donor eggs and the potential exploitation of poor women that could entail. Further, it appears that medical issues, such as tissue rejection, would not be a factor.

"This may be the best possible outcome for people who yearn for cures of chronic diseases and disabilities. Much work needs to be done, but it seems clear that the hurdles will be much easier to overcome than those that continue to plague embryo research and cloning.

Budget funds

Mrs. Gallagher said that the state's bishops urge "the Empire State Stem-Cell Board, created by Gov. Spitzer and the State Legislature to direct all state funding that would have gone to destructive embryo research and cloning into research utilizing this new procedure, which can make our state a leader in the field.

"At the same time, we continue to fully support funding for research on 'adult' stem cells, which already have many valuable therapeutic uses in the treatment of disease and disability.

"The Conference congratulates those in the scientific community who have pursued this life-saving research, which should put an end to any scientific justification for embryo-destructive research and the cloning of human beings."

Pro-life response

The findings drew positive reaction from many Catholic and pro-life leaders abroad:

* Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson of Adelaide, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference, said, "While it is still early days for this research, it is a very promising discovery which will help scientists to fight serious diseases without resorting to the deliberate destruction of human embryos to obtain stem cells";

* in Great Britain, the head of Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said the new stem-cell studies "show that one can be both pro-life and pro-science";

* Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow, Scotland, chairman of the United Kingdom and Ireland Joint Bishops' Bioethics Committee, said, "The Catholic Church has constantly supported the work of scientists who use adult stem cells, research which has produced much more promising results and avoids the ethical dilemma involved in creating and destroying human life";

* the National Catholic Bioethics Center said that "persistence in seeking creative scientific breakthroughs and actively pursuing alternative approaches can help resolve serious ethical problems, and allow us to maintain the ethical integrity of science while achieving important scientific and medical ends."

(11/29/07) [[In-content Ad]]