Vatican Condemns use of Embryonic Stem Cells in tests on Humans
(August 06, 2010) The Vatican condemned the recent decision by U.S. regulators to
begin using embryonic stem cells in clinical tests on human patients. The destruction
of human embryos involved in such research amounts to "the sacrifice of human beings"
and is to be condemned, said the president emeritus of the Pontifical Academy for
Life, Bishop Elio Sgreccia. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave final approval
for a clinical trial of embryonic stem cells as a treatment for patients with spinal-cord
injuries, making the United States the first country to allow the testing of such
cells on human beings. Geron Corp., the U.S. Company which won the FDA approval,
plans to perform tests on a small group of patients paralyzed by a spinal cord injury.
The company had won FDA approval early last year, but after mice treated with the
cells developed spinal cysts, the government put the clinical trials on hold amid
concerns over the safety of the procedure. The new government-approved trials aim
to test the therapy's safety on humans as well as its effectiveness. In an interview
with Vatican Radio, Bishop Sgreccia said science itself recognizes the human embryo
"is a human being in the making." Destroying embryos "receives a completely negative
judgment" from an ethical point of view, no matter what justifications are given for
their use, he said. However, even if there were positive results from the use of such
cells, "morally it would still be a crime," he said. The church supports research
and therapies that utilize adult stem cells and stem cells derived from umbilical
cord blood.