Science and Religion Three-Way Blog

JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT 6
In the technological age of flat screens, jet planes, and heart surgery, perhaps stem cell research draws some of the most attention of controversial issues. The greatest myth perhaps is that religion condemns stem cell research while science encourages it. The only controversy existent concerns the stem cell research that involves perverting a woman’s eggs that have been fertilized by a man’s sperm into a stem cell. It is this topic that draws the attention of the media, the classroom, and politics.
Of many “political/religious” groups, I agree most clearly with Focus on the Family. This group encourages adult stem cell research, as I do completely. We both only contest the embryonic stem cell research, clearly seen here: “Focus on the Family opposes stem cell research using human embryos.” I differ from Focus on the Family, and many groups, as to why I reject the idea of human embryo research. Many groups, such as the Catholic Bishops, believe that the human is created at conception or very soon after. The Jewish people say that after around a month, the embryo becomes a human. I am not so bold as to wager when the human is actually created. This is not for me to say as I leave that up to a greater power than myself. The main issue at hand is not deterring if the embryo is a human. The issue is acknowledging that the embryo is part of the natural life cycle and process. The embryo is the root, the initial union between two sets of chromosomes that constitute the formation of a human being, the shell of a soul. The fact that this is part of the human life cycle separates it from simple matter such as a rock or a vegetable.
The ethical dividing line is not completely certain: some say to research with embryos, some say to not. The question is asked “who can know?” I think that this is such a sticky issue that it is “better to be safe than sorry.” Even if one doesn't believe embryo is a human, the fact is that it is developing into one. Destroying this development is a scary issue and wrong. I believe that human tendency is to break rules and thus I believe that researchers have and will continue to cross such ethical lines.
Speaking of scary issues, the idea of me setting any U.S. policy is insane. U.S. policy is not for me to decide. I do not represent the U.S. and cannot say what the policy should be. As the United States is a democracy, the country should decide as a people. If the people decide to research embryonic stem cells, I believe that most “God-fearing” groups would oppose this, as a variety of other groups. On the other hand, if the people decide not to research embryonic stem cells, a large majority of the “scientific community” and those apparently blinded to the beauty of the natural life process would be enraged with the ruling.
After this year, and previous study of embryonic stem cells, I have reached a point to desire science to stay away from the use of embryos. The reproductive process is natural, whether one believes that evolution by chance brought it about or that some High Power created it. Either way, this is a beautiful process and should not be perverted. To those who say life is a beautiful thing and sustaining it using human embryos is a good thing, even if the ends does justify the means, who is to say if the means, destruction of embryos, shall be justified? I do not think that this destruction of human life/pre-life should be considered even as research. Thus I agree with stem cell research completely as embryonic research does not deserve the title.
As a conclusive statement concerning stem cell research, I agree with the Hippocratic sense of healing rather than destroying and that adult stem cells should be researched for further cures to the ails of humanity. However, to end parts of the human life cycle can only be condemnable.