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Return Human Embryo forum introduction Questions asked in this forum: Does this research place the role of God in question? Doesn't the benefits of embryo research outweigh any harm to the embryos? Does embryos have "human rights"? Should their be exceptions to the Congressional ban on human embryo research? Why did Congress overrule an NIH panel when they banned human embryo research? Additional Comments from Viewers. NewsHour Links March 10, 1997: Dr. Neal First of the University of Wisconsin and Dr. John Fletcher of the University of Virginia answer your questions about cloning. February 24, 1997:   A background report on the cloning of sheep in Scotland.  February 24, 1997:   A technical discussion on the science of genetic engineering.  February 24, 1997:   A discussion on the ethics of genetic engineering and cloning mammals.  April 3, 1996:   Fred De Sam Lazaro reports on scientific advances in genetic research and the ethical questions they raise.  OUTSIDE LINKS The Genetics and Public Issues Program at The National Center for Genome Resources (NCGR) discusses cloning.  Discussion of Ethics and Social Issues in Gene Research at the Human Genome Project.  Browse the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics home page.

Christopher Wade of Canberra, Australia, asks: Is the church afraid of human embryo research because it places the role and existence of God into question? Richard Doerflinger, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, responds: No -- and the Church is not against all embryo research. We're against forms of experimentation that harm and destroy human embryos or that manipulate them for purposes that only benefit others, not the embryos themselves. Federal regulations have long protected human embryos in the womb from experiments of that kind in federal programs -- we've simply urged the government to set the same standards for research outside the womb. Modern efforts to produce human embryos in the laboratory invariably involve a great deal of manipulation and harm, and the discarding of many embryos. The production of one "Dolly," the famous cloned sheep, involved the discarding of hundreds of embryonic and fetal sheep; human life should not be treated so cavalierly. The threat here is not to God, but to the value and dignity of human beings. This issue is about human beings claiming new rights to manufacture other humans according to specifications, destroy them at will, and manipulate them in accordance with someone else's flawed notions of human perfection. Dr. Mark Hughes responds: Mr. Wade's question might best be answered by Mr. Doerflinger since he represents the Conference of Catholic Bishops. It is my understanding that the Catholic Church regards as "universal" and "absolute" that human life begins at conception. But, their teachings go beyond this point and forbid any form of medical intervention to assist families in having a baby, including the process of obtaining the egg and sperm for the purposes of conception. While I am a molecular biologist not a theologian, I believe that these teachings are based on the concept that procreation is a devine gift, and that artificial assistance in this process violates the sanctity of the "marriage act." Many world religions consider the process of having a baby within a loving family to be a "blessed event," and they instruct the use of our knowledge and intellect to assist couples in having children. Recently, religious leaders have stated that human evolution is not inconsistence with the existence of God. I believe that as we learn more about ourselves and the origins of our existence, more of us will come to realize that the process of human procreation is beautiful even when it requires the assistance of a doctor. Certainly, there are many thousands of healthy, happy families who would readily agree. Continue to next question...

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