If we were to contemplate killing mentally retarded infants to obtain transplantable organs, no one would characterize the controversy that would erupt as a debate “about organ tra
The question of when human life begins continues to be a source of ethical and political controversy. In this debate, the language used by many medical textbooks fosters significan
Embryo research became a hot-button political issue, and strikingly, just as had been anticipated in 1994, public officials and candidates for office regularly spoke about the issu
Human embryonic stem cell (HESC) research offers much hope for alleviating the human suffering brought on by the ravages of disease and injury. HESCs are characterized by their cap
Three reasons are given for the pursuit of human stem cell research: to increase understanding of normal cell development; to screen new drugs in vitro; and to provide tissue for c
In humans, the term “embryo” technically applies after implantation of the organism is complete (approximately 14 days after fertilization) until eight weeks of development, at whi
On the occasion of its 12th General Assembly, the Pontifical Academy for Life celebrated an international Congress on the theme: “The human embryo in the pre-implantation phase: Sc
The gift of life which God the Creator and Father has entrusted to man calls him to appreciate the inestimable value of what he has been given and to take responsibility for it: th
Until recently human beings have had to deal with their physical condition as it comes to them through birth and subsequent development. It was believed (truly or falsely) that some control could be exercised through the selection of mates, through behaviour during pregnancy, and by eliminating unwanted offspring (infanticide); but in general there was no means of improving things through studying or interacting with human life in its antenatal stages. With the development of genetics, microbiology and their applications, however, it has become possible to modify the genetic state of an individual and through stem-line-cell interventions to change heritable features. This faces two kinds of ethical challenges: first, to the effects of modification, and second to the means used to achieve it. Specifically, it is objected that research of this kind involves destroying natural human embryos or creating artificial ones (in some cases hybrids combining human and animal tissue). The former is held to be a case of abortion, the latter that and/or a perversion of human nature.