The decision taken last March by U.S. President Barack Obama to allocate Federal funds to research on stem cells created by the destruction of human embryos (embryonic stem cells) has rekindled the polemics on a topic characterized by complex bioethical implications. The situation has been further aggravated by the nature and content of the declarations made in support of this decision, which will have a huge impact on the question of the defence of human life in the context of stem cell research.
The argument that this decision is necessary in order to defend the right of the sick to have access to possible future treatments constitutes a distortion of logic. In this approach, the rights of the sick person are used as a lever to justify measures which, given the recent developments in this field, would not be justifiable on a scientific basis. Furthermore, the contemporaneous urging to look at the facts and not to act in conformity with ideological considerations is astonishing at a time when, analyzing the objective facts, we discover that they lead to diametrically opposite conclusions that is, that there is no need to destroy human embryos in order to pursue all possible paths in the search for cures for many serious diseases by means of stem cells.
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Angelo L. Vescovi: Behind stem cell research lies a battle over rights
The decision taken last March by U.S. President Barack Obama to allocate Federal funds to research on stem cells created by the destruction of human embryos (embryonic stem cells) has rekindled the polemics on a topic characterized by complex bioethical implications. The situation has been further aggravated by the nature and content of the declarations made in support of this decision, which will have a huge impact on the question of the defence of human life in the context of stem cell research.
The argument that this decision is necessary in order to defend the right of the sick to have access to possible future treatments constitutes a distortion of logic. In this approach, the rights of the sick person are used as a lever to justify measures which, given the recent developments in this field, would not be justifiable on a scientific basis. Furthermore, the contemporaneous urging to look at the facts and not to act in conformity with ideological considerations is astonishing at a time when, analyzing the objective facts, we discover that they lead to diametrically opposite conclusions that is, that there is no need to destroy human embryos in order to pursue all possible paths in the search for cures for many serious diseases by means of stem cells.
Read it all.