Denver, Colo., Oct 17, 2012 / 16:00 pm
Although concerns have been raised about the unethical source of some cells used in Shinya Yamanaka's efforts to reprogram cells into stem cells, moral theologians insist that the work could lead to ethical advances in the field.
"The initial insight unfortunately involved tainted material, but it gives way to an application of that knowledge which can be perfectly morally licit," Father Thomas Berg, Professor of Moral Theology at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y., told CNA on Oct. 16.
The American Catholic published a post on Oct. 15 questioning praise in Catholic circles of the results of Yamanaka's research, which was initially performed using cells derived from aborted human fetuses and human embryonic stem cells.
"That in itself no one is praising … I wouldn't have described myself as praising the work of Yamanaka in that sense," Fr. Berg said in reference to an Oct. 8 interview with CNA.