Washington D.C., Aug 2, 2004 / 22:00 pm
In the ongoing stem-cell debate, a USCCB official says it is possible to have “good morality and good medicine.”
Richard Doerflinger, deputy director of Pro-Life Activities, for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says adult stem-cell research poses no moral problems and shows more medical promise than embryonic stem-cell research.
He points to a recent Congressional testimony in which two accident victims, who suffered paralyzing spinal cord injuries previously thought incurable, told of their remarkable progress after doctors grafted their injury sites with stem cells from their own olfactory systems.
These two cases also provide powerful evidence of the promise of continued research into adult stem cells, says Doerflinger.
“The Catholic Church opposes embryonic stem-cell research because it destroys human embryos, innocent human lives, in the name of medical progress,” he said. “Far more medical promise is emerging at present from adult stem cells and other avenues that pose no moral problem.” In addition, the use of one’s own adult stem cells circumvents the risks of rejection.
“Good morality and good medicine are not in conflict here; they point in the same direction,” he says.