seriously though … a distinction needs to be made between therapeutic cloning & using already fertilized eggs to produce stem cells. In therapeutic cloning they take an embryo, strip its nucleus, insert a cell nucleus from the patient body (it can be from any cell), and electrically (or chemically) stimulate it to produce an embryo. That embryo would then be the genetic twin of the patient & would become the source of stem cells for potential therapeutic uses. This procedure cannot produce life; however, I’m pretty sure the RCC still opposes it.
This would be the likely course if ESC’s were ever found to be efficacious for medical treatments (since it would overcome the problem of donor rejection). However, getting from where we are now to the point where we learn whether or not this stuff can work requires research – and that research has thus far been shut down (until recently that is).
The most effective means of research is traditional ESCR (using already fertilized embryos stored in a frozen state in fertilization clinics, which would otherwise be discarded since the donor females have already accomplished their goal of becoming pregnant).
The idea that ESCR (and therapeutic cloning) will not be effective is nothing more than conjecture (without any sound scientific basis). Indeed the fact that adult stem cells are showing potential only serves to validate further ESCR since embryonic stem cells are thought to be of higher quality than ASC’s.
IMO the CC is creating a false victim. These are blobs of cells that will never otherwise become life. They don’t think, they can’t speak, and frankly they have no more essence than a banana for goodness sake. However, this is what the church does isn’t it? It’s always hated science & it continues down the same path of obstructing human progress that its been going down for centuries. In the past it was any theory that sought to debunk geocentrism, now it’s ESCR. The church has always maintained a small cadre of scientists (only a small handful of which ever produced anything of even nominal value) so it can turn around and say – see we do support science. Yet what it really wants to do is control science (which really equates to obstructing science of real value); while of course the idea that theologians should be allowed any influence over science whatsoever is logically absurd.
Oh well … thankfully it doesn’t wield any real power these days.