June 15th, 2009 | 
Author: The stem cell research debate has spanned numerous decades, with presidents like George HW Bush, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush rejecting funding science that tampered with human embryos, and presidents like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama appropriating money toward an end that justifies the means. If a primitive bundle of cells can be used to save thousands or millions of lives and alleviate suffering, then is it worth it? Or does embryonic stem cell research cross the line between man and God?
When does human life begin? This is the quintessential theological question behind embryonic stem cell research. Devout Catholics and Protestants will tell you, “Human life begins at conception, at the very moment when sperm and egg come together. Development from there on out should be left up to God and God only.” They argue the problem is that embryos are killed in the process of harvesting stem cells, therefore aborting the developing embryo.
In a speech on August 9, 2001, former President George W. Bush explained, “While we must devote enormous energy to conquering disease, it is equally important that we pay attention to the moral concerns raised by the new frontier of human embryo stem cell research. Even the most noble ends do not justify any means.” Pope Benedict XVI went so far as to say human stem cell research was “not only devoid of the light of God but also devoid of humanity.”
The Iranian position on embryonic stem cell research is that it’s a necessary and common pathway to medical discovery. According to the Koran, human life begins at Day 120, when the embryo is blessed with a soul, so the fetal stem cells being derived when the embryo is less than two weeks’ old is of little moral concern to them.
In a letter to a scientist, Ayatollah Khamenei commended the pursuit of “lofty objectives,” predicting “huge humanitarian wealth.” He did, however, caution against producing identical parts of human beings, which would be considered cloning, which is rejected in Iranian culture.
Lawyers may argue either for or against stem cell research. They can argue that stem cells cannot develop into humans outside of the uterus or that these spare embryos are routinely destroyed by flushing them down the drain, incineration or leaving them out to perish; so why not use these extra embryos to save lives?
Yet they may also argue that these embryos can be adopted, rather than destroyed, or that embryonic stem cell research is senseless murder. This complex argument may become null and void if adult stem cells can be effectively harvested and reverted back to their primal state, although it may take years before the process is fully perfected.
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Article Source: Is Embryonic Stem Cell Research Crossing The Line?
