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Religious Leaders Oppose Research Using Embryonic Stem Cells

Updated: June 09, 2005 05:00 PM GMT
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Catholic, Protestant and Confucian leaders in South Korea have spoken out against a Korean scientist´s breakthrough in stem cell research, reminding the public that the process creates and destroys human life.

The Korean Catholic bishops´ Episcopal Commission for Doctrine and Episcopal Commission for Social Affairs jointly issued a statement June 4 titled, "The Catholic Church´s Stand against Doctor Hwang Woo-suk´s Research on Embryonic Stem Cells."

In the statement, the bishops expressed their objection to and concern about Hwang´s research, which is "anti-life because he clones and destroys an embryo, which is human life."

Medical research is exploring the use of stem cells to treat several serious diseases and conditions including Alzheimer´s disease.

The Catholic bishops pointed out that using embryonic stem cells "is not the only way" to treat such diseases. "Adult stem cells, which have been already proved to be effective clinically, are relatively safe and do not have any moral problem," they said.

Other religious leaders also have spoken out. Choi Gun-duk, head of the Confucian group Sungkyunkwan, expressed his opposition to Hwang´s research on embryonic stem cells on June 5, saying it goes against the laws of nature.

Earlier, on May 27, the Korean Christian Bioethics Association issued a statement calling Hwang´s research a moral crime because it violates the universal moral law "You Shall Not Kill" and is an "experiment on human beings." The Protestant group urged the government to support research using adult stem cells and not to offer unilateral support for research on embryonic stem cells.

Hwang made world headlines May 19 when he announced in the journal "Science" that he had created the world´s first embryonic stem cells that genetically match injured or sick patients. This is said to be a major step toward providing replacement tissue in the treatment of diseases.

Hwang and his team used genetic material from the skin cells of 11 patients including three with serious diseases or spinal cord injuries. The process of harvesting the stem cells destroys the embryos.

According to the Catholic bishops´ statement, the research by Hwang´s team has increased the possibility of a cloned baby. "The research of cloning a human embryo will degrade women into a method for just some biological functions," it warns.

"The Catholic Church does not neglect those who are suffering from hard-to-cure diseases," the bishops stressed. "We just cannot agree with sacrificing one life to save another life."

Bishop Francis Xavier Ahn Myong-ok of Masan, president of the Committee for the Doctrine of the Faith, which comes under the bishops´ doctrinal commission, told UCA News June 8 that the anti-life issue is serious. He expressed concern about the country´s enthusiasm for the research, since "Koreans do not mind the method used to accomplish this purpose." This, he said, is a "big problem."

Local media have run stories mostly praising the breakthrough by Hwang and his team, and Bishop Ahn noted that anyone who raises an objection to Hwang´s achievement on Korean Internet forums is likely to be denounced as a traitor.

In the prevailing circumstances, "it is not easy to raise objection to Hwang´s research," the bishop said.

Nonetheless, the bishops complained that some people hastily proclaimed Hwang´s breakthrough a "revolution," and that the local media have been praising Hwang´s scientific achievement without warning of its danger.

"Our society would respect life by recovering its sanity, rather than by being (excessively) enthusiastic over Hwang´s successful research," their statement said.

A spokesperson of the government´s Ministry of Science and Technology commented on Korean scientists´ preference for using embryonic stem cells rather than adult ones. "Adult stem cells are relatively old and do not develop into any of the various specialized cells, unlike embryonic ones, which have unlimited potential," the spokesperson told UCA News.

However, Bishop Ahn said Hwang "did not explain why he used embryonic stem cells instead of adult ones during a journalists´ forum" held June 7 at the Press Center in Seoul.

From the response to Hwang´s breakthrough, Bishop Ahn has concluded that "Catholics are not faithful to the Church teaching on life and do not even know Church teaching well."

He therefore called on the Korean bishops to focus on the best way to spread the Church´s teaching on life among Catholics at the parish level.

END

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