Stem Cell Battles
Rush Limbaugh called out Michael J. Fox for his campaigning for the Democratic senate candidate of Missouri. He apparently has half-heartedly apologized for suggesting that either Fox deliberately didn't take his medication or was acting. The issue is stem-cell research. President Bush vetoed a bill that had passed a Republican held House and Senate that would have funded stem cell research -- calling it a moral imperative to do so. Fox, who suffers from the horrible Parkinson's Disease is working to make sure that a veto proof congress is elected.
At this point we don't know what stem cells will do, but the science suggests that before long we'll be able to create cells that will be able to treat, maybe even cure debilitating diseases such as Parkinson's, and perhaps much more than that. The vast majority of Americans support the research, and yet there is significant opposition, much of it coming from within the religious community. This opposition is one piece of evidence cited by Sam Harris in his effort to prove that religion is bad for humanity.
At issue is the personhood of embryos. For those who believe that life begins at conception, an embryo can be considered life. But what about embryos created in vitro, embryos that would otherwise be destroyed because they would never be implanted. Is this life or potential life? And if potential only and likely never to achieve that potential, could not such cells be made use of to benefit humanity.
This issue is not just any issue. It has economic, medical, lifestyle ramifications. Economically, the United States stands to lose out on the benefits of any research breakthroughs. Medically, we could be depriving people of a cure for serious diseases. And as far as lifestyle -- would you rather be in a wheel chair if you could be walking on your own?
People argue over whether this is a moral issue, and it does us no good to deny the moral dimension. The issue then is where the moral compass points. Is it more moral to pursue this research or not. If the embryo is not life, but potential life. Then perhaps the burden points to benefiting the living who might be helped by any break through. It's a difficult issue, but in my mind, I believe that God would have us use reason and pursue the research. After all, that's why God gave us minds in the first place -- so we'd use them.
At this point we don't know what stem cells will do, but the science suggests that before long we'll be able to create cells that will be able to treat, maybe even cure debilitating diseases such as Parkinson's, and perhaps much more than that. The vast majority of Americans support the research, and yet there is significant opposition, much of it coming from within the religious community. This opposition is one piece of evidence cited by Sam Harris in his effort to prove that religion is bad for humanity.
At issue is the personhood of embryos. For those who believe that life begins at conception, an embryo can be considered life. But what about embryos created in vitro, embryos that would otherwise be destroyed because they would never be implanted. Is this life or potential life? And if potential only and likely never to achieve that potential, could not such cells be made use of to benefit humanity.
This issue is not just any issue. It has economic, medical, lifestyle ramifications. Economically, the United States stands to lose out on the benefits of any research breakthroughs. Medically, we could be depriving people of a cure for serious diseases. And as far as lifestyle -- would you rather be in a wheel chair if you could be walking on your own?
People argue over whether this is a moral issue, and it does us no good to deny the moral dimension. The issue then is where the moral compass points. Is it more moral to pursue this research or not. If the embryo is not life, but potential life. Then perhaps the burden points to benefiting the living who might be helped by any break through. It's a difficult issue, but in my mind, I believe that God would have us use reason and pursue the research. After all, that's why God gave us minds in the first place -- so we'd use them.
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