FULL STEM AHEAD?

the ethics of embryonic stem cell research are closely tied to the ethics of destroying embryos. even where embryos are destined to be destroyed at the request of couples who would no longer use it for reproductive purposes, some people are uneasy, even if it is for the benefit of research.
debates about the moral status of the embryo tend to follow several lines of analysis. for some, moral status is derived from the presence of a human genome and from the sheer theoritical possibility of development to live birth. for others, moral status is linked to the ability to experience some degree of sentience, often called the argument for personhood. for still others, moral status is neither present or absent, but exist on a continuum throughout the developmental process, with the ethics of destroying the embryo dependent upon the justification of the act ( cf. Stem Cell Ethics, Stem Cell and Regenerative Medical Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison).

with all these considerations, can we go full "stem" ahead?

or discern?

DIGNITY MORE THAN DNA

the human person is at the heart of the social order. the basic human rights are not granted by governments, but recognized by them. they are universal, inviolable and inalienable because they are based on the dignity of every human created in the image and likeness of god.

it is not identified with or limited to his DNA genes and thus this dignity does not diminish when physical or genetic defects exist. the person's basic dignity comes from being created in the likeness and image of god.

pope benedictXVI, address to pontifical academies, nov. 21, 2007.
international theological commission, dec. 1, 2007

SEXUALITY AND HUMAN HEALTH

sexuality influences every phase of human function: the biological, the psychological, the social and the spiritual. for this reason, sexuality has an intense effect on human health. balanced sexuality disposes for human health.

although the catholic church has been severely criticized for its "outmoded" teaching on human sexuality, she is trying to help people develop healthy personalities and lead them closer to god. faithful to christ's teaching, no matter how unpopular it might be in this present society, leads to an integrated and balanced experience of sexuality, compatible with with human health in the full sense of the term.

HUMAN INTERVENTIONS

an intervention on the human body affects not only the tissues, organs and their functions but also involves the person himself on different levels. it involves, therefore, perhaps in an implicit but nonetheless real way, a moral responsibility.

Donum Vitae, n. 3.

CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIES

science and technology must be for the service of the human person. the rapid deployment of technological discoveries gives greater urgency to this need to respect the criteria of human life. Advances in technology have made it possible to procreate apart from sexual relations, technologies like cloning, in-vitro fertilization and artificial insemination. but what is technically possible is not for that very reason admissible.

science without conscience can lead to man's ruin.

REDEFINING DEATH

modern medicine has brought us tremendous power.

boundaries such as death, heart stoppage and ownership of organs have guided our moral thinking because they seem fixed in nature. but self-interest and self-serving motives make the difference. from heart and lung function to total brain death we argue medically and unceasingly what is to be done.

"i believe in organ donation because i believe in the gift of life and i think the job of providing organs falls to each one of us". so does the job of deciding when we can rightly take them.

rightly, mr. saletan.

they are not always technical decisions. they are always ethical, too.