VATICAN CITY, AUGUST 25 (ZENIT.org).- In the field of medical science,
there are alternatives to experimentation with human embryos and, even
if there were none, such experimentation is "radically opposed to the
principle of human coexistence." These are the two main points made by a new document published yesterday by the Pontifical Academy for Life (Cf.ZE00082410), which morally condemns cloning and experimentation initiatives with stem cells, proposed by the U.S. and British governments.

This position was emphasized to ZENIT by Fr. Gonzalo Miranda, secretary
of the Bioethics Center of the Sacred Heart University of Rome, and
professor of the Pontifical Athenaeum "Regina Apostolorum."  Fr. Miranda explained that the Church's opposition to human cloning is very clear." However, in some sectors "there is the conviction that 'therapeutic' cloning is not real cloning." That is, people believe that "cloning tissues" is not the same as "cloning embryos" and, therefore, it would not be "real human cloning."

Professor Miranda confirmed that this is an error. "Tissues cannot be cloned without cloning an embryo; that is, without destroying embryos.  "Obviously, no human being can be sacrificed for the sake of an experiment.

Human Beings as Medicine  "Even if there were no alternative, cloning would not be acceptable,"  Fr. Miranda explained, because it would mean "using," "sacrificing,"
"eliminating" another human being for my sake or that of a third person.  The priest gave the example of organ transplants. In fact, most people  balk when they hear of the traffic in organs for transplants -- in other words, using and sacrificing a person for medical reasons.

Moreover, the use of human embryos to experiment with stem cells, as
proposed by the United States and Great Britain, is a violation of the
principle of equality among human beings. The proposal cuts the human
race in half: "first class" embryos that can be gestated and grow to
maturity, and "second class" or inferior embryos that are used for
experimentation or medical purposes. Hence, according to this proposal,
human rights are not the same for all, and "peaceful coexistence is
being profoundly wounded."

Alternatives to Cloning
However, Fr. Gonzalo Miranda explained that the Church is not opposed to scientific progress. On the contrary, the document of the Pontifical Academy for Life points out that at present science is giving new hope, precisely because there are alternatives to cloning. Scientific studies have demonstrated that blood cells, as well as nerve and muscle cells,
can be obtained from human bone marrow. These discoveries pave the way for therapies that some scientists hoped to achieve through cloning.  Consequently, the Church is not against progress, but advocates human,  ethical progress. "Diseases cannot be cured by sacrificing human beings," Fr. Miranda concluded.
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