|
Edited on Sat Nov-05-05 09:18 PM by DanCa
What counsel would you offer on stem cells?
Thursday, November 3, 2005
By MAKEBA SCOTT HUNTER
NORTHJERSEY.COM
HERALD NEWS
Embryonic stem cell research incites the passions of people both in
favor and opposed to the idea of using those cells for scientific
research. The debated stem cells in question are usually "extra"
fertilized eggs, frozen by couples trying to conceive. Supporters tout possible scientific breakthroughs such as cures for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease that could result from the research. Opponents say life begins at conception, and, therefore, using fertilized eggs for scientific research destroys human life
and crosses serious ethical and moral lines. Although widely publicized and politicized, the issue is, at heart,
really a matter of individual faith and values. What is the bigger
ethical dilemma with regard to stem cells: using unused frozen
embryos for research or destroying those embryos because they are no
longer viable or wanted?
How would you counsel a couple facing the dilemma of having unused
embryonic stem cells?
Rabbi Stanley Skolnik, Beth Sholom Reform Temple, Clifton
In the matter of a specific couple, the religious and emotional
needs must be paramount, so that my general predisposition must be
secondary to the couple's own orientation. However, when asked about
the general question of the use of embryonic material in the search
for treatments and cures for a variety of human diseases, I am very
much in favor of their use, provided that the research is confined
to the articulated goals of healing and not move into the area of
experimental "cloning" for the purpose of producing "frankenkids" by
selecting characteristics from a menu of options.
Judaism, as I believe and teach, places great importance upon human
life and the preservation of the health and dignity of the
individual in both life and death. A controlling principle governing
most others, and even setting aside many cherished practices such as
observing Sabbath restrictions, is called "pikuach nefesh" (the
saving of life). It is from this principle that a host of permissive
behaviors derive in order to protect or save life, and in the case
of the use of fetal material (especially unused embryos) it would
seem self-evident that the potential value of their use should
override other considerations. A second Jewish principle which governs my beliefs is that of "bal tashchit," the Torah teaching that one should not waste or destroy anything of life or nature or of use to another. In this regard, I deem it unconscionable that an unwanted and unused embryo should be destroyed rather than respectfully used to improve human life and health. It is no different than discarding the usable organs of a dead person rather than transplanting them into the body of a living person who might benefit from a donated organ. It is not a question of when life begins, or even what constitutes death, but always how to save life while protecting the dignity of life and each human being.
Minister Floyd A. Cray, III, Gospel Vibrations World Outreach,
Teaneck. Pray and ask God for the right way to deal. Search the scriptures and the Lord will speak to your heart on the issue concerning used embryonic stem cells.
Mohamed El Filali, Outreach Director, Islamic Center of Passaic
County:Islam has a responsibility to the advancement of learning and
science without compromising the principles of Sharia' - divine law
extracted from the Quran and tradition of the prophet. The Sharia'
sets the sacredness of human life as one of its highest objectives.
Muslim scholars formed opinions on embryonic stages as they
understood it from the Quran. One of the explicit texts on this
topic is Chapter 23, verse 12-14 in the Quran-Muslim holy book: "We
created man of an extraction of clay, then we sent him, a drop in a
safe lodging, then We created of the drop a clot, then we created of
the clot a tissue, then We created of the tissue bones, then we
covered the bones in flesh; thereafter We produced it as another
creature. So blessed be God, the best of creators." Some scholars were of the old opinion that the embryo becomes a human being after four months of conception, while others are of the modern opinion that the soul is instilled in the fetus after forty-
two days of conception. Both opinions agree that before the presence
of the soul the fetus can be used for scientific research for the
sole purpose of medical research and not for tampering with God's
creation such as changing eye color, height, etc... This understanding makes the Muslim perspective on stem cell
research very clear: Islam does not oppose medical research on
fetuses as long as they conform to the timely guidelines of
creation.
Tom Anderson, Atheist, Lyndhurst:
Morality tends not to be an absolute, fixed concept. It is a
personal belief about what subjects are given or entitled to empathy
or sentimentality. Environmentalists assign morality judgments to
acts affecting animals and plants. Erudites make a moral case out of
the loss of cultural sites, the burning of books, or the loss or
dismissal of scientific or technological progress. Theists of all
stripes embody the moral framework of their various religious books
and teachings, differing and conflicting from one religion or sect
to the next. So the question of the morality of any particular
topic, including stem cell research, depends on the individual or
the group, and thus we must first define the audience.
In the United States, and New Jersey in particular, we are a melting
pot of all kinds of backgrounds and persuasions. And thus, we must
boil down to our common morality: how we treat each other and
respect each other's beliefs and rights. We must, morally speaking,
allow others to believe and do as they please, so long as it does
not infringe on the rights of other people and their property. But
here is where we find the core problem of the reproductive
arguments: the two sides disagree as to whether an embryo is a
person or property. There is no doubting the fact that an embryo is "human" - it has all right chromosomes - but is it a person, an individual? You see, being human is not a proper distinction between person and property. I may freely give one of my kidneys to another, and although it is human - it has all the right chromosomes - it is not a person. My kidney has no rights of its own. It is my property. Likewise, an embryo is not a person... it has no brain, no heart, no personal features whatsoever. It is human, but it is not a person. It is the property of its parents unless and until it is implanted in a uterus and brought to term. Until then, it's only a potential person, and when you start down the road of potentialities, you quickly arrive in the land of the absurd. For instance, any given pair of egg and sperm are potentially an embryo, and therefore potentially a person. But does that mean it is immoral to NOT have sex and reproduce with every person on the street you might fancy? Is menstruation murder? It cannot be argued that a potential is the same as a person, and thus embryos are not a subject of ethical dilemma. Embryos are property - like kidneys - which have the potential to create or preserve human life. The decision — which, if either — belongs to the parents and nobody else. It is not a public debate. Respecting their right to make this decision is only moral.
Sister Jane Feltz, Associate Campus Minister at William Paterson
University and Passaic County Community College: My own personal
feeling it it's up to them to make that decision. I would not see
any harm in donating them to research. It would be helpful to
others, and therefore it's a way for supporting research. For me,
personally, I would feel that it could be used for science.
Is there life there? I'm not sure of that. It's an area that I'm not
clear on. I'm not going to tell them to do something against the
church.If the church did allow couples to do that, I would encourage them. I believe it would help other human beings who may be sick, who may need some kind of medication or some kind of treatment from the stem cells.I would advise them to know what the church's stand is, and go by what the church says.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
