A Catholic View on Stem-Cell Research – Catholicism and …

Important Questions:

The Catholic Church is concerned with the protection of all innocent human life. Scientific research is important, but it can never come at the expense of the weakest among us.

What Are Stem Cells?:

Stem cells are a special type of cell that can easily divide to create new cells; pluripotent stem cells, which are the subject of most research, can create new cells of various types. Over the last several years, scientists have been optimistic about the possibility of using stem cells to treat a wide range of diseases and other health problems, because stem cells could potentially regenerate damaged tissues and organs.

Types of Stem-Cell Research:

While news reports and political debates often use the term stem-cell research to discuss all scientific research involving stem cells, the truth is that there are a number of different types of stem cells that are being studied. For example, adult stem cells are often drawn from bone marrow, while umbilical-cord stem cells are taken from the blood that remains in the umbilical cord after birth. Most recently, stem cells have been found in the amniotic fluid that surrounds a baby in the womb.

Support for Non-Embryonic Stem-Cell Research:

There is no controversy about research involving all of these types of stem cells. In fact, the Catholic Church has publicly supported adult and umbilical-cord stem-cell research, and Church leaders were among the first to applaud the discovery of amniotic stem cells and to call for further research.

Opposition to Embryonic Stem-Cell Research:

The Church has consistently opposed research on embryonic stem cells, however. For several years now, many scientists have called for greater research on embryonic stem cells, because they believe that embryonic stem cells exhibit greater pluripotency (the ability to divide into different types of cells) than, say, adult stem cells.

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A Catholic View on Stem-Cell Research - Catholicism and ...