Stem Cell & Cloning Research & the Culture of Death

December 6, 2005Creighton University

Greg Schleppenbach

Director of the Bishops' Pastoral Plan for Prolife Activities, Nebraska Catholic Conference

The Roots of the Culture of Death

Modern Day Garden of EdenModern Day Garden of Eden

“We are going to have almost as much knowledge and almost as much power as God.

Cloning and the reprogramming of DNA is the first serious step in becoming one with God.”

--Dr. Richard Seed (World Magazine, 1/17/98)

Cain’s Lie: “I do not know.”Cain’s Lie: “I do not know.”

Today’s lies:• “We don’t know when life

begins.”• “It’s a blob of tissue.”• “Fetus”• “Freedom of Choice”• “Death with Dignity”• “Assisted suicide/Euthanasia as

compassion”• “Nuclear transfer, clump of cells”

““Cain’s failure to take Cain’s failure to take responsibility:responsibility: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Today’s failure:

• Abandon pregnant mothers to abortion

• Abandon disabled, elderly, terminally-ill to assisted suicide/euthanasia

Roots of the Culture of DeathRoots of the Culture of Death

•Perverse idea of freedom• Relativism

• Individualism

• Materialism

•Secularism

“At the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.”

Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 1992

Who is our neighbor?Who is our neighbor?

Anyone lying helpless in that ditch.

Secularism: “the heart of tragedy”Secularism: “the heart of tragedy”

“In seeking the deepest roots of the struggle between the ‘culture of life’ and the ‘culture of death’, we cannot restrict ourselves to the perverse idea of freedom… We have to go to the heart of the tragedy being experienced by modern man: the eclipse of the sense of God and of man…”

----Evangelium vitaeEvangelium vitae #21 #21

“Roe…could not be repudiated without serious inequity to people who, for two decades of economic and social developments, have organized intimate relationships and made choices that define their views of themselves and their places in society, in reliance on the availability of abortion in the event that contraception should fail.”

Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 1992

The Science & Ethics of Stem Cell Research

Toward a consensus?

Promises, Premises and Published Promises, Premises and Published Data…Data…

Claims for embryonic stem cells Claims for embryonic stem cells unsubstantiatedunsubstantiated

Current or potential embryonic stem Current or potential embryonic stem cell problemscell problems::

• Difficult to establish and maintainDifficult to establish and maintain• Difficulty in obtaining pure cultures in the dishDifficulty in obtaining pure cultures in the dish• Question regarding functional differentiationQuestion regarding functional differentiation• Problem of immune rejectionProblem of immune rejection• Few and modest results in animalsFew and modest results in animals• Genomic instabilityGenomic instability• Ethically contentiousEthically contentious

““The emerging truth in the lab is that The emerging truth in the lab is that pluripotent stem cells are hard to rein pluripotent stem cells are hard to rein in. The potential that they would in. The potential that they would explode into a cancerous mass after explode into a cancerous mass after a stem cell transplant might turn out a stem cell transplant might turn out to be the Pandora’s box of stem cell to be the Pandora’s box of stem cell research.”research.”

--Prof. Glenn McGee, quoted in E. Jonietz, “Innovation: Sourcing Stem Cells” Technology Review (January/ February 2001): 32

Adult Stem Cells Not as Good?

““There is a cell in the bone marrow that There is a cell in the bone marrow that can serve as the stem cell for most, if can serve as the stem cell for most, if not all, of the organs in the body,” not all, of the organs in the body,” Theise says. “It had been thought Theise says. “It had been thought that only embryonic stem cells had that only embryonic stem cells had such wide-ranging potential. such wide-ranging potential. However, this study provides the However, this study provides the strongest evidence yet that the adult strongest evidence yet that the adult body harbors stem cells that are as body harbors stem cells that are as flexible as embryonic stem cells.”flexible as embryonic stem cells.”

--Neil Theise, Diane Krause, Cell, May 2001

““Two years ago, I would have said this is a Two years ago, I would have said this is a big surprise and I wouldn’t have believed it big surprise and I wouldn’t have believed it unless it could be widely reproduced,” unless it could be widely reproduced,” said Ronald Worten, head of Canada’s said Ronald Worten, head of Canada’s Stem Cell Network. “But then the dogma Stem Cell Network. “But then the dogma used to be that if you were a stem cell in used to be that if you were a stem cell in [adult] bone marrow, you could only make [adult] bone marrow, you could only make blood cells, or if you were a stem cell in blood cells, or if you were a stem cell in skin, you could only make skin. There’s skin, you could only make skin. There’s now enough lab work to say the dogma now enough lab work to say the dogma was wrong.”was wrong.”

--Commenting on McGill University study published in --Commenting on McGill University study published in Nature Nature Cell BiologyCell Biology

Check the board!Check the board!

Scoreboard! Scoreboard!Scoreboard! Scoreboard!Adult Stem Cell vs. Embryonic Stem Cells Adult Stem Cell vs. Embryonic Stem Cells

Benefits in Human PatientsBenefits in Human PatientsADULT: 65• Cancers: 23• Auto-immune disease: 14• Cardiovascular: 1• Ocular: 1• Immunodeficiencies: 3• Neural Degenerative Disease/Injuries: 3• Anemias/Blood Conditions: 10• Wounds/Injuries:4• Other Metabolic disorders: 6EMBRYONIC: -- 0 --

“These efforts [against federally funded experiments that destroy human embryos] are unjust and uncivil…. They represent an attempt to impose one group’s religiously supported and widely contested position on when life begins as the legally binding one in our society and they do so by risking the lives and health of all citizens.”

--Ronald M. Green, Ph.D., Presentation at Virginia Wesleyan College Center for the Study of Religious Freedom, January 18, 2003

Embryology 101:““Zygote. This cell results from the union of an Zygote. This cell results from the union of an

oocyte and a sperm during fertilization. A zygote oocyte and a sperm during fertilization. A zygote is the beginning of a new human being (i.e., an is the beginning of a new human being (i.e., an embryo).”embryo).”

-Moore, Keith L. and Persaud, T.V.N., The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology, 7th edition, Philadelphia: Saunders 2003, p.2.

““The development of a human begins at fertilization, The development of a human begins at fertilization, a process by which the spermatozoon from the a process by which the spermatozoon from the male and oocyte from the female unite to give rise male and oocyte from the female unite to give rise to a new organism, the zygote.”to a new organism, the zygote.”

-Sadler, T.W. Langman’s Medical Embryology, 7th edition. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1995, p.3.

““Almost all higher animals start their lives from a Almost all higher animals start their lives from a single cell, the fertilized ovum (zygote)… The time single cell, the fertilized ovum (zygote)… The time of fertilization represents the starting point in the of fertilization represents the starting point in the life history, or ontogeny, of the individual.”life history, or ontogeny, of the individual.”

-Carlson, Bruce M., Patten’s Foundations of Embryology, 6th edition, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996, p.3.

Status of the human embryo, according to federal advisory groups on bioethics

1994: “The pre-implantation human embryo 1994: “The pre-implantation human embryo warrants serious moral consideration as a warrants serious moral consideration as a developing form of human life.”developing form of human life.”

-National Institutes of Health, Report of the Human Embryo Research Panel (Sept. 1994), p.2.

1999: “[M]ost would agree that human 1999: “[M]ost would agree that human embryos deserve respect as a form of embryos deserve respect as a form of human life.”human life.”

President Clinton’s National Bioethics Advisory Commission, Ethical Issues in Human Stem Cell Research (Sept. 1999), Vol. I, p.ii.

2002: “In medical terms, embryo usually 2002: “In medical terms, embryo usually refers to the developing human from refers to the developing human from fertilization (the zygote stage) until the end fertilization (the zygote stage) until the end of the eighth week of gestation…”of the eighth week of gestation…”

-National Academy of Sciences, Scientific and Medical Aspects of Human Reproductive Cloning (National Academy Press 2002), p. 262 (italics added).

The traditional Western ethic has always The traditional Western ethic has always placed great emphasis on the intrinsic placed great emphasis on the intrinsic worth and equal value of every human life, worth and equal value of every human life, regardless of its age or condition… This regardless of its age or condition… This traditional ethic is still clearly dominant, traditional ethic is still clearly dominant, but there is much to suggest that it is but there is much to suggest that it is being eroded at its core and may being eroded at its core and may eventually be abandoned. This of course eventually be abandoned. This of course will produce profound changes in Western will produce profound changes in Western medicine and in Western society…. It will medicine and in Western society…. It will become necessary and acceptable to place become necessary and acceptable to place relative rather than absolute values on relative rather than absolute values on things such as human lives….”things such as human lives….”

““The process of eroding the old ethic and The process of eroding the old ethic and substituting the new has already begun. It substituting the new has already begun. It may be seen most clearly in changing may be seen most clearly in changing attitudes toward human abortion… Since attitudes toward human abortion… Since the old ethic has not yet been fully the old ethic has not yet been fully displaced, it has been necessary to displaced, it has been necessary to separate the idea of abortion from the idea separate the idea of abortion from the idea of killing, which continues to be socially of killing, which continues to be socially abhorrent. The result has been a curious abhorrent. The result has been a curious avoidance of the scientific fact, which avoidance of the scientific fact, which everybody knows, that human life begins everybody knows, that human life begins at conception and is continuous whether at conception and is continuous whether intra- or extra-uterine until death.”intra- or extra-uterine until death.”

““The very considerable semantic The very considerable semantic gymnastics which are required to gymnastics which are required to rationalize abortion as anything but rationalize abortion as anything but the taking of a human life would be the taking of a human life would be ludicrous if they were not often put ludicrous if they were not often put forth under socially impeccable forth under socially impeccable auspices. It is suggested that this auspices. It is suggested that this schizophrenic sort of subterfuge is schizophrenic sort of subterfuge is necessary, because while a new ethic necessary, because while a new ethic is being accepted the old one has not is being accepted the old one has not yet been rejected…”yet been rejected…”

-A New Ethic for Medicine and Society,” Editorial in California Medicine, Volume 113, number 3, September 1970

Proclaiming the Gospel of Life

Know, live and spread our Faith.

Celebrate the Gospel of LifeRediscover and celebrate awe

for human life.“By his incarnation the Son of God

has united himself in some fashion with every human being. This saving event reveals to humanity not only the boundless love of God, who ‘so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (Jn 3:16), but also the imcomparable value of every human person.”

-Evangelium vitae #2

Serving the Gospel of Life• Parish pro-life efforts• Nebraska Catholics for Life• Pregnancy-assistance center• Project Rachel• Nebraska Coalition for Compassionate

Care• Nebraska Coalition for Ethical

Research• Natural Family Planning• Hospice• St. Vincent de Paul• Various other kinds of pastoral and

social activity

Family as the Sanctuary of Life

“Within the ‘people for life’ …the family has a special role… It is truly ‘the sanctuary of life: the place in which life—the gift of God—can be properly welcomed and protected’…

Consequently, the role of the family in building a culture of life is decisive and irreplaceable… It is above all in raising children that the family fulfills its mission to proclaim the Gospel of Life.”

Family as the Sanctuary of Life

“It is an illusion to think that we can build a true culture of human life if we do not help the young to accept and experience sexuality and love and the whole of life according to their true meaning and in their close interconnection. Sexuality, which enriches the whole person, ‘manifest’ its inmost meaning in the leading the person to the gift of self in love. The trivialization of sexuality is among the principle factors which have led to contempt for new life. Only a tru love is able to protect life.”