Question about embryonic stem cell research... need an answer

[una_ecclesia]

let’s suppose that embryonic stem cell research has just been banned. Funding for adult stem cells and other types of benficial research is now fully endorsed rather than set aside, and all of us who are against it rejoice because a decision in favor of human life has been made.

BUT:

What about the frozen embryos currently stored away in petri dishes? what should be done with them?
Now I know that the Church is against in vitro and I agree with their teaching, but should these embryos:
be given a chance to live and develop via in vitro?
or should they simply be discarded or left to die(highly unlikely… i’m against this one)?
or should they remain as they are frozen?
or some other idea which I have not thought of???


Most importantly, is there any statement made by the Church that could help me out with this issue? I don’t want this to turn into some nasty debate so please be charitable in your comments. Thanks for all your help and God bless

 

[Newbie2]

Good question.

Clearly, disposing of the embryos (assming they are still viable) or using them for research is out, so that leaves either adopting them or leaving them in frozen stasis until they eventually become unviable (die) which could be a very long time.

This leads to other questions, such as how does one reliably determine viability of a frozen embryo.

And…adopting embryos means artificial implantation, which is morally questionable, although under these circumstances it would be the only way to “rescue” an embryo.

To date there is no official church position on what to do with these embryos; the church seems to lag behind technology, and with good reason; when she makes a definitive statement, she wants to get it right.

Kinda like not messing with fertility treatments that produce these “extra” embryos in the first place.

 

[una_ecclesia]

thanks newbie2, it does seem like not much has been thought regarding this scenario…
anyone else willing to answer?

 

[RachelsAlumni]

The Church certainly is not behind the times with regards to ESCR. Not with priests like Fr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD debating these issues! You just need to know where to look. If you haven’t read Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D. I highly recommend reading some of his articles. Fr. Tad earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the diocese of Fall River, MA, and serves as the Director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. He has several articles at the NCBC site “Making Sense out of Bioethics”

I was fortunate to listen to him speak at my Diocese. NCBC does have DVD’s you can order and there’s even one entitled “Embryo Adoption: Biotechnology, Marriage, and the Right to Life” that deals with exactly the questions you are posing.

Here’s the forward from the DVD:

Here are a few related articles from Making Sense of Bioethics FYI:

Thawing the Frozen Embryo Myths

Debating the Embryo’s Fate

Here’s another article from NCBC entitled “Embryo Adoption” by
Steve Kellmeyer