Antiquitopia

Obama's overturning of Bush-era restrictions on stem-cell research has had an interesting religious response according to AP . The interesting aspect of it is its complexity and ambivalence. Firstly, the divide is largely between killing innocent life and the importance of alleviating suffering (all quotations from AP): The embryonic stem cell research debate is steeped with religious arguments, with some faith traditions convinced the research amounts to killing innocent life, others citing the moral imperative to alleviate suffering, and plenty of religious believers caught somewhere in between. The expected Catholic response of opposition came from Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia: Cardinal Justin Rigali, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, called Obama's move "a sad victory of politics over science and ethics." "This action is morally wrong because it encourages the destruction of innocent human l...

In an scene that looks like it could come out of 1984 , the institution whose leaders act like clones, look like clones, and all dress alike, have reified the Catholic Church's position against cloning. Those who have sidestepped the "natural" processes of procreation, as usual, want to regulate those things in which they themselves do not participate : birth, creation, etc. The official document, " Dignitas Personae " or the "Dignity of the Person," forbids creation through in vitro fertilization and human cloning. It forbids the manipulation of human biological raw materials: so no stem-cell research. Or, no stem-cell research based upon embryos. It allows stem cells extracted from adults and umbilical cords. And, the cherry on top this ice-cream Sundae is no morning after pill! I always find it strange that a bunch of celibate men sit around in rooms all day talking about the proper and improper ways to have sex, have children, and so forth...