Are iPS cells already embryos?
Top researcher: iPS cells ‘probably’ already embryos, have already made cloned animals An iPS cell is an induced pluripotent stem cell. They had been thought by many to be ethically safe to destroy during research and therapy. New research is calling that into question. (Via LifeSiteNews.com.)
Pope Benedict’s speech on stem cell research
Here is a link to Pope Benedict’s recent speech on stem cell research. The Pope spoke to participants at a conference organized by the Pontifical Council for Culture on this theme– Adult Stem Cells: Science and the Future of Man and Culture. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2011/november/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20111112_stem-cells_en.html While extolling the promise of scientific research, Pope Benedict emphasized the need to protect […]
Why abortion is still the most important political issue
UFL member, O. Carter Snead (Notre Dame), has a terrific new article on the Public Discourse blog, Protect the Weak and Vulnerable: The Primacy of the Life Issue. In the article, he first establishes that the debates over abortion and embryo destructive research are really about membership in the human family and the reach of […]
Can you be prolife and support embryonic stem cell research?
Prof. Greg Dolin says yes in his article, A Defense fo Embryonic Stem Cell Research, on SSRN. Originally published in Fall 2009 issue of the Indiana Law Journal, Prof. Dolin argues that the fact that an embryo is a human life does not morally preclude all destructive stem cell research and that a person can […]
Expansion of Embryonic Stem Cell Research
David Prentice has a very helpful article, Stem Cell Bill Ignores Patients and Real Science, on The Hill blog. It contains links to prior legislation, an NIH report and ongoing litigation regarding government funding of ESCR.
Communication and Moral Complexity
SSRN lists a new article, Moral Conflict and Complexity: The Dynamics of Constructive Versus Destructive Discussions Over Polarizing Issues. The authors’ abstract, which you can access here, describes the contents as: Moral conflicts, whether over abortion, the death penalty, or the ‘right’ approach to addressing terrorism, pose serious challenges to societies worldwide. They can quickly […]
Tristam Engelhardt on Moral Pluralism in Bioethics
The Journal of Medicine & Philosophy has a new article,
Update on embryo-destructive research
Here is a very useful update (by Christian Brugger) on recent legal developments relating to embryo-destructive research. http://culture-of-life.org//content/view/725/1 Richard M.
Wesley Smith on the litigation over ESCR
Here is a link to discussion by Wesley Smith of the litigation concerning embryonic stem cell research. See http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/2011/05/19/of-embryonic-stem-cell-research-politics-and-the-rule-of-law/ Richard M.
court decision on embryonic stem cell research
Here is the LifeNews story on last week’s decision by a federal court of appeals allowing the funding of embryonic stem cell research. See http://www.lifenews.com/2011/04/29/court-obama-can-force-taxpayers-to-fund-embryonic-research/ Here is a story with commentary from pro-life advocates. See http://www.lifenews.com/2011/04/29/pro-life-advocates-respond-to-courts-stem-cell-decision/ Richard M.