.- Catholics must voice their opposition to new state legislation that would fund embryonic stem-cell research, which involves the killing of the human embryo, said Bishop Michael A. Saltarelli of Wilmington, Delaware. In a pastoral letter, printed May 26, the bishop pointed out that Delaware’s Senate Bill 80, the Delaware Regenerative Medicine Act, does nothing to stop human cloning for scientific research and does not promote adult stem-cell research as an ethical alternative.
“Unlike adult stem cell research, human embryonic stem cell research, in addition to being morally wrong, has not yielded a single medical cure. Adult stem cell research has already yielded many successful treatments for a host of medical conditions and should be encouraged by state and federal governments,” the statement says.
“As Christians, we believe that every human life is directly willed by God and is made in His own image and likeness,” he wrote. “Every human life, from the moment of conception, must be treated with the same respect we would want for ourselves or our loved ones,” reads the letter.
The bishop said people should never be treated as objects and human life should never be turned into a commodity, however well intended research might be.
The Diocese of Wilmington has established a special task force to educate public officials and voters about the ethical questions and scientific options surrounding human embryonic stem-cell research.
For the bishop’s full statement, go to: www.cdow.org
