Washington D.C., May 24, 2005 / 22:00 pm
A new bill that would allow research based on the stem cells taken from umbilical cord blood immediately after births should be supported by legislators, said Cardinal William Keeler.
In a letter, the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee for Pro-Life Activities urged Congress to support the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005. The House was expected to consider the legislation, introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), yesterday.
While embryonic stem-cell research raises grave moral objections, and remains speculative in terms of medical benefits, “this bill relates to an area of stem-cell research and treatment that is indisputably acceptable on moral grounds and remarkably promising in terms of clinical benefits: the use of umbilical cord blood retrieved immediately after live births,” noted the cardinal.
The Catholic Church opposes embryonic stem-cell research because it requires the destruction of the embryo, that is, human life at its initial stages. A majority of Americans support this view. A recent poll indicated that 77 percent of Americans surveyed, in particular, opposed the cloning of human embryos for research purposes.