On the subject of stem cell research, I think the logic of science dictates that we should work within its laws rather than against them.
Amid all the uproar over embryonic stem cell research, one crucial fact is ignored. Remarkable progress towards cures is being made using umbilical and adult bone marrow stem cells.
To me, this makes perfect sense.
Human pride and short-sightedness have prompted our lawmakers to decide that we know better than natural law. We alone can build a better mousetrap of cures for disease by pouring billions of dollars into the killing of our own embryos. We overlook the probable fact that, in the beautiful symmetry of Nature, the answers to disease are embedded by the Creator within the miracle of life itself, waiting for us to discover and unlock their power.
To believe that human life must be destroyed before it can be saved contradicts not only common sense, decency, and dignity, but also the perfection of science. Answers, yet unknown, are there for discovery. Do we human beings have the patience, and the faith, to find them in a respectful and moral manner?
The work already in progress on adult and umbilical stem cells is well on the way to providing solutions that we need for many diseases, including Parkinsons and diabetes. In Australia, the Sydney Archdiocese is funding a $100,000 grant for research on stem cells.
"The achievements to date in this area far surpass anything that has been attained in the area of embryonic stem cell research," Cardinal George Pell said. "The Catholic Church always supports good science working from a good ethical foundation, and the Archdiocese of Sydney is delighted to be able to collaborate with researchers making inroads in this vitally important area."
Diverting our current path into the destruction of innocent life not only delays results, it destroys the inherent goodness and nobility of seeking cures. If one can view God and Science as two sides of the same coin, as I do, they can be seen working together, always for good. From either a scientific or spiritual viewpoint, embryonic stem cell research is a bankrupt endeavor that will impoverish us both ethically and intellectually.
