Completing 18 months of study of human stem cell research, the Faith and Genetics Working Group of the Diocese of Massachusetts has issued its final report. The Working Group supports human stem cell research subject to societal oversight and regulatory constraints. It encourages broad community involvement in attempts to identify potential positive and negative effects, promises and dangers, and the nuances that accompany this line of scientific inquiry. It recognizes that the "instrumental use" of embryos for human stem cell research poses an issue of profound concern and significance to the human community, including communities of faith.
Elements of the report include:
- body of the report
- supplementary statements by five participants
- listing of biomedical ethical principles
- axioms for Anglican Moral Theology
- "Preformationist Theory: Its Persistent Influence upon Theology, Ethics, and Common Consciousness," a paper by Barbara Smith-Moran
In light of the tenets of our faith (including stewardship, persons in community), the Faith and Genetics Working Group of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts set out to identify ethical considerations that arise with the issue of proceeding or not proceeding with human stem cell research (HSCR). The report provides an account of the road traveled by the Faith & Genetics Working Group during its 18-month study in 2001-2003.
Stem cell research is an evolving area of inquiry of particular relevance in biomedical sciences. Broadly speaking, stem cell research has three objectives: 1) to elucidate the complex mechanisms of the development of multi-cellular organisms, particularly mammals and, most especially, humans. It seeks to identify and purify progenitor cells that during development give rise to the differentiated mature cells of the body, and to study how this differentiation occurs; 2) to develop technologies to utilize stem cells to regenerate tissues damaged by accident or degenerative disease; 3) to pursue genetic objectives for possible cloning of human beings or possible eugenic ends that might become introduced to human reproduction.
The first two objectives were ones given special attention by the Working Group in their study of ethical considerations. The third objective is highly controversial. It raises issues of moral boundaries concerning eugenics and human reproductive cloning, neither of which can be pursued responsibly at this time.
Important areas that pose questions for ethical consideration include:
- The source of cells used for human stem cell research.
- The instrumental use of embryos for research.
- The status or standing of the human embryo.
- The sources of human embryos for research.
- A responsible use of language.
- The place and role of community.
- The place and role of social guidelines and regulations with respect to research.
- The allocation of resources.
The full report is available at the website of the Faith & Genetics Working Group, Diocese of Massachusetts.
