Re: [asa] Will science always find a way?

Right.

The issue of the moral standing of embryos does not go away just because skin cells may be able to be de-differentiated into stem cells.  There are still thousands of frozen embryos out there, and more are made all of the time, and no one knows what their fate will (or should) be.



On Thu Nov 29 11:42 , "David Opderbeck" sent:

Mlucid said:  I don't see you average lefty (like me, traditionally) backing the destruction of human embryos if there is any alternative whatsoever, any more than I see the average fundy supporting surgical research on selective dissection of criminals brains. 

 

I don't think this is so.  On NPR a few days ago, I heard an embryonic stem cell research advocate say that research on embryos should continue regardless of the viability of using adult skin cells. The rationale was that multiple lines of research are more likely to produce useable results.  While that rationale may be correct in some sense, it is a far cry from "we won't touch this if there's any alternative whatsoever."

 

Further, the question goes far beyond stem cells.  I heard a talk at the law school last week on pre-implantation genetic screening in connection with in vitro fertilization.  The argument was that parents should be free to use such screening for essentially any purpose, including selecting for physical characteristics such as gender.  The result of this, of course, is that the embryos with "undesirable" characteristics are destroyed.  This is not a radical position, and in fact is the default already in many instances.  We already practice eugenics.

 

 

On Nov 29, 2007 11:26 AM, <mlucid@aol.com> wrote:

That there is a blurring of the science vs. religion lines of late is clear enough.  But that there might be a reversal of long entrenched positions is not so clear.  I don't see you average lefty (like me, traditionally) backing the destruction of human embryos if there is any alternative whatsoever , any more than I see the average fundy supporting surgical research on selective dissection of criminals brains. 

And while there is surely enough hypocrisy in both camps to thwart us doing what we need to do to ultimately save ourselves from ourselves, I don't think such hypocrisy is due for a polar reversal any time soon.

That said, stranger things have happened.

-Mike (Friend of ASA)

-----Original Message-----
From: Randy Isaac <randyisaac@comcast.net>
To: asa@calvin.edu
Sent: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 7:00 pm
Subject: [asa] Will science always find a way?

What do you make of today's WSJ op-ed piece by the editor of First Things?

http://www.opinionjournal.com/federation/feature/?id=110010915

 

I'm not sure we can say it can be universally expected that "science will always find a way." Yes, we should look but it's not a given.

 

Also, what do you biochemistry experts say about the technical work?

 

Randy

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