"Science is a gift of God to all of us and science has taken us to a place that is biblical in its power to cure," said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, arguing for the bill's passage. "And that is the embryonic stem cell research." (HT: Wesley Smith)
What in the world is she talking about? Science is Biblical in its power to cure? I suppose what she means is that science has now transcended and has godlike power to cure the sick and suffering. What she failed to mention is that the area of research she led congress to support with taxpayers dollars is that same that destroys human embryos and has produced no treatments or cures.
The hype from politicians like Pelosi has mislead the public and individuals suffering from chronic diseases into believing that a cure is around the corner. The voice of the suffering has been exploited to compel the public into supporting investigations that are speculative and unproven and that represent a significant departure from ethical standards that respect the sanctity of human life. Yet, no approved treatments have been obtained using embryonic stem cells and there are presently no therapeutic applications on the horizon.
However, the dismal track record and unattainable promises of ESC research is not the fundamental problem.
The fatal flaw of current ESC research is that scientists must "destroy" (a synonym for "kill") a human being to extract the stem cells they need. Emotionally based appeals are made to justify the practice by demeaning the unborn and undeveloped person and claiming an embryo is not as important as someone who has developed and is in need of the embryo's parts.
What is known to ESC researchers is that human embryos are fully human. This is not a controversial conclusion but one supported by contemporary human embryology and developmental biology.
To endorse the destruction of an immature human (embryo) is to presume that humans are valuable not because of what they are but rather because of changeable and subjective accidental characteristic (e.g., developmental status, capability, contribution to society, etc...) .To support the assertion that ESC research does not kill a human is to reject the premise that humanness is intrinsic, a principle on which equality and modern democracy are based.
This is hardly Biblical.
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