| Bioethics
This section deals with the
ethical issues arising from biotechnology.
While medical science is
continually striving to improve our health and lifestyle,
this honourable end does not always justify the means.
We must be fully aware of
ethical situations implicit in many new procedures, from IVF
to stem cell research to pre-implantation/birth screening
to cloning which destroy or devalue life.
It is not a Luddite position
to oppose these procedures if their methodology destroys young
embryos, or seeks to create a new human life only to harvest
certain organs or cells.
It is an objective scientific
fact that life begins at conception and that the human being
exists from then on. This new and unique person is very much
alive and to destroy this life, or suspend it in the frozen
state is a denial of his/her human rights. To state that an
embryo has human rights may seem strange but our human rights
are based on our humanity, the very same humanity that we
share as embryos, toddlers, teenagers, or pensioners.
Science must be regulated
by the law, a law based on equality and justice and ever mindful
of human dignity. We must ensure that destructive practices
do not occur in Ireland or the EU and that scientific advance,
not only has as it's goal, the improvement of the human condition,
but that its methods reflect this worthy aspiration.
Articles
All
from the Linacre Centre
Cloning
and Stem Cell Research
In
Vitro Fertilisation
Pre-Implantation Diagnosis
The
Inhuman Use of Human Beings
from First Things
All from the American
Bioethics Advisory Commission
What
is bioethics? Dianne Irving
There
is no such thing as a pre-embryo Dispelling some
of the myths surrounding "scientific" terminology.
Cloning,
stem cell research and some historic parallels HIstory
repeating itself
Geneticist
Jerome Lejeune's observations about cloning. (Jerome Lejeune
made the historic discovery of the genes responsible for Down's
Syndrome)
When
do human beings begin? "Scientific myths and scientific
facts" Brilliant!
Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis
Ethical
sources of stem cells Dianne
N. Irving, Ph.D. Citations from published studies. There are
other ways - and are more successful than embryo-derived stem
cells.
The following links are all
resources I used in preparation for a presentation on genetic
engineering as part of the "Examining Philosophy"
series at Glenard University
Residence Dublin. Some of them deal specifically
with the Christian context but are still worthwhile reading
for all!
Genetic engineering: what is genetic engineering? From
Dr. Patrick Dixon, futurist.
Human
Personhood Begins at Conception Peter Kreeft
from Catholic Educator's
Resource Centre
The following documents are
archived at PetersNet
The
Human Genome in Human Context by Stephen Barr, a
theoretical particle physicist.
Can
Human Cloning be "Therapeutic"? L'Osservatore
Romano
Human
Cloning - Moral and Philosophical Considerations
Made
not begotten: A theological analysis of human cloning
The
Basics About Stem Cells by Maureen L. Condic
From Linacre
Quarterly a publication of the Catholic
Medical Association
The
Sacredness of Human Life in a Desacralized World.
Cloning - 10 Most Asked Qs
Setting Parameters for Biotechnology
Perfecting Humankind: A Comparison of Progressive and Nazi
Views on Eugenics, Sterilization and Abortion
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