Dear
Friends,
Good morning. When I read the
startling news about Harvard scientists developing embryonic stem cells from
ordinary skin cells, I wondered how the conservative wing of the Christian
church would react? I view the Roman Catholic Church as conservative and called
Fathers Daniel Gambet and Frederick Riegler for their views. Gambet is the
former President of De Sales University and Riegler is the pastor of St.
Isidores in Quakertown.
The key paragraphs in the Washington Post story
(Aug. 22) were these: “The new technique uses laboratory-grown human embryonic
stem cells- such as the ones President Bush has already approved for use by
federally financed researchers- to “reprogram” the genes in a person’s skin
cell, turning that skin cell into an embryonic stem cell itself.
“Until now, the only way to turn a person’s ordinary
cell into a “personalized” stem cell such as this was to turn that ordinary cell
into an embryo first and later destroy the embryo to retrieve the stem cells
growing inside - a process widely known as “therapeutic cloning.”
“Embryonic stem cells are capable of becoming
virtually any kind of cell or tissue, and are being intensely studied around
the world as the core of a newly emerging field of regenerative medicine, in
which researchers hope to grow new tissues to revitalize ailing organs.”
There are millions of unused embryos sitting in
fertility clinics waiting for destruction unless donors use them. Spurred on by
conservatives, who believe that life begins with the embryo, the Bush
administration opposes therapeutic cloning. Will the skin cell technique
provide an end run around the heated social and religious debate?
“As long as skin cells are removed without damage to
the donor and are used in a constructive way with the recipient, from the
standpoint of the Catholic church, there is no moral problem,” Gambet began.
“Obviously, it would be a good thing.”
However Gambet was cautiously optimistic after
consulting with scientists at De Sales. “Some say that this [skin cell]
procedure is inferior,” Gambet continued. “The people with whom I spoke said
that there’s a difference between skin cells which have pluri potency and
embryonic stem cells which have pleni potency. The difference is that skin
cells won’t do all the good things…like improving health and correcting
diseases…that embryonic cells will do. So at best, it’s a partial solution to
the moral problem.
“By continuing this line of [skin cell] research,
scientists may develop further cures,” Gambet said. “But the Catholic Church
won’t ever approve any stem cell for the purpose of cloning,” he quickly added.
“I was fascinated,” Riegler began.
“I’m not an ethicist or biologist, but on face value, skin cell research looks
like it will be acceptable to the [Catholic] church. Scientists are
manipulating cells with out destroying human embryos. If it works, will it be
the end of the controversy? I hope so.”
He turned to the heart of the debate. “Will the pro
life, pro choice battles end,” Riegler asked? “I hope so,” he answered. “Is
this the way out? Will those on the other side embrace it? I would hope so.”
Nonetheless, success via skin cells
may be decades away. In the meantime, we are forced to make a choice between
destroying embryos, which have the potential for human life in order to end
terrible human suffering, or not. That’s an easy choice for me.
Sincerely,
Charles Meredith