Vatican spells out no-nos in new bioethics document

[Stoney Toni]

The Vatican has released a new document titled "The dignity of a person" in which the Pontifical Academy for Life has laid down the position of the Catholic Church on various issues.

The document works from the fact that life begins at conception. The morning after pill, embryonic stem cells, and some forms of assisted fertility are therefore immoral. Specifically on fertility, the Vatican elaborates:

• Opposed the selective reduction of embryos often used in in vitro procedures since it essentially is abortion.

• Opposed pre-implantation diagnosis of embryos since it may be followed by the destruction of those embryos deemed defective or otherwise undesirable.

• Opposed freezing embryos, since it is "incompatible with the respect owed to human embryos" and also means they were created in vitro.

All of this seems pretty straightforward to me. What isn't so straightforward, is this curiosity. The Vatican says that parents can in good faith vaccinate their children with materials derived from illicit materials, citing that "grave reasons may be morally proportionate to justify the use of such 'biological material'". This is in reference to treatments derived from the cells of an aborted fetus. This is not so straightforward to me, because there is no such qualifier for treatments derived from embryonic stem cells.

Source:
http://www.usccb.org/comm/Dignitaspe...s_Personae.pdf

Thoughts?

[Karankawa]

Of course, within this general picture there exist differing degrees of responsibility.
Grave reasons may be morally proportionate to justify the use of such “biological material”.
Thus, for example, danger to the health of children could permit parents to use a vaccine which
was developed using cell lines of illicit origin, while keeping in mind that everyone has the
duty to make known their disagreement and to ask that their healthcare system make other
types of vaccines available.

The Church is clear that they are opposed to any medicines derived from embryos. But if embryonic treatment is the only type available and would help, it is okay to use them. Catholics are not going to force themselves or their children to die waiting for non-embryonic vaccines, to use their example.

[karrie]

The difference I think (note, I say think... what the V is up to is beyond me sometimes) there T, is vaccinations versus individual treatment. One is for society as a whole, one is strictly for personal gain.

There is a balancing act that exists between the protection of potential life, and the protection of living life. And in the past when I have argued with teachers in the church about the use of stem cells (I reasoned, why not use something that's going to be thrown out regardless of our view), the answer was that in the bible (somewhere, don't ask me for a verse), it says that individuals shall not profit from the sins of others. It stuck in my mind even then that it was a statement about individuals.

[Stoney Toni]

The difference I think (note, I say think... what the V is up to is beyond me sometimes) there T, is vaccinations versus individual treatment. One is for society as a whole, one is strictly for personal gain.

They do make the distinction between those who willingly create the vaccine, and those who have no choice, presumably the parents who have no medical alternative. To me though, if there is no medical alternative, and there is a treatment available, and it is permissible given this context, then why would it still be immoral to create these treatments? If there is another treatment, well I can understand that, it's just the conclusion I don't think follows logically from the premise in this case.

There is a balancing act that exists between the protection of potential life, and the protection of living life. And in the past when I have argued with teachers in the church about the use of stem cells (I reasoned, why not use something that's going to be thrown out regardless of our view), the answer was that in the bible (somewhere, don't ask me for a verse), it says that individuals shall not profit from the sins of others. It stuck in my mind even then that it was a statement about individuals.

I tend to agree with that. It's life sustaining life, however. This document seems to say that there is no satisfactory choice with regards to those embryos that are already created, and in cold storage. It's very clumsy to me, but I think that's inevitable in ethics at the extreme end.

I wonder how Catholics feel about the conclusions for IVF treatments.

[karrie]

IVF treatments are a wonderful thing for the parents they help.


But.


There is a large contingent of clinics out there willing to create and destroy as many embryos as a family is willing to try for, and willing to inject as many dangerous hormones into a woman, and as many viable embryos into a woman, as they can. Some seem to exercise no discretion in when to call it quits and seek counseling and alternative child rearing options for their clients. I would personally see through to call the deaths of those embryos as a necessary sadness, to bring a healthy child into the world, IF there was some sort of limit to the amount a clinic is going to create. There are countries that limit them, as well as limiting the number of attempts a mom can make, and I personally think that's a step in the right direction, for many reasons.

[JoeSchmoe]

Why are these whackos who believe in mythical beings still relevant? The world would be a much better place without (any) religion...... fairy tales are not real people!!

[Karankawa]

You don't have to believe in mythical beings or fairy tales to decide that just from a matter of ethics, killing an embryo is wrong.

[s243a]

You don't have to believe in mythical beings or fairy tales to decide that just from a matter of ethics, killing an embryo is wrong.

If they were never created they would have never had the chance to exist. Is it ethical to prevent woman from having Children because they have fertility difficulties? If we compare to the animal kingdom what is the survival rate of mosquito eggs?

[triedit]

Good for the Catholics. Leaves more embryos and stem cells for me.