Barry Swartz - Virtue Ethics

Ethics of stem cell research

Benedict XVI is acknowledging the temptations facing scientists who seek cures for degenerative illnesses, but he says that not even one human life can be destroyed for the benefit of another.

The Pope said this Saturday in an address to some 250 participants in an international conference on "Adult Stem Cells: Science and the Future of Man and Culture." The symposium was promoted by the Pontifical Council for Culture in collaboration with the U.S. Stem for Life Foundation.

The three-day meeting examined the use of adult stem cells in medicine, both from the perspective of science, and from that of its cultural, ethical and anthropological implications.

The Holy Father recalled that, because of human beings' immortal souls, "there are dimensions of human existence that lie beyond the limits of what the natural sciences are competent to determine."

And, while recognizing the desire to find cures for illnesses, acknowledging that "it is tempting for scientists and policy-makers to brush aside ethical objections and to press ahead with whatever research seems to offer the prospect of a breakthrough," still, he affirmed, "those who advocate research on embryonic stem cells in the hope of achieving such a result make the grave mistake of denying the inalienable right to life of all human beings from the moment of conception to natural death."

"The destruction of even one human life can never be justified in terms of the benefit that it might conceivably bring to another," he stated.

The Pontiff moreover recognized the possibilities for adult stem cell research, assuring that the Church "naturally offers her encouragement to those who are engaged in conducting and supporting research of this kind, always with the proviso that it be carried out with due regard for the integral good of the human person and the common good of society."

"Dialogue between science and ethics is of the greatest importance in order to ensure that medical advances are never made at unacceptable human cost," he said.

Benedict XVI clarified that the Church's efforts to draw attention to the defenseless is not only an endeavor to protect the unborn, but also those who do not have easy access to expensive medical treatments.

"Illness is no respecter of persons," he said, "and justice demands that every effort be made to place the fruits of scientific research at the disposal of all who stand to benefit from them, irrespective of their means."

'You Are a Wonderful Gift' - Population tops 7bn

'You Are a Wonderful Gift'

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 7 - While Oct. 31 found those in some circles worried over the birth that day of the 7 billionth person on earth (according to United Nations calculations), the Vatican spokesman had a different message for the child: You are unique and special, you are a wonderful gift, you are a miracle, and so you are welcome.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi addressed his weekly editorial to the 7 billionth child, framing this milestone in a context entirely different than those prognosticating population woes.

"Dear baby number 7 billion! I don't know if you are a girl or a boy, whether you are Indian or Chinese, born in a great city or a tiny village. I don't know if you were born in the fertile South American lowlands or under an igloo above the arctic circle. I don't know if you were born on a remote island, or in a refugee tent. I don't know whether you are healthy or sick or handicapped. I don't know whether both your parents were there to embrace you at your birth, or whether your mother alone was there to hold you. I don't know whether people will say there are too many or too few of you and your contemporaries. Today, I don't care about that," the Jesuit wrote.

Father Lombardi admitted the world that this child is coming into is "a bit complicated" and "not friendly for everyone."

"We haven't done a very good job preparing it for you," he said.

In an allusion to the Group of 20 meeting, the priest noted that "the leaders of the richest and most powerful nations are sitting around a table, struggling to find a way forward. We too are asking ourselves about your future."

"But today," he continued, "I want to tell you that you are unique and special, that you are a wonderful gift, that you are a miracle, that your spirit will live for ever, and so you are welcome. We hope that when you smile someone will respond to your smile, and when you cry someone will caress you. We hope you can go to school and that you won't go hungry. We hope that someone will answer your questions wisely and encourage you as you find your place in the world. We hope you will be able to love others, that you will be able to grow, and work, and live among your family, with many friends, in a nation and in a world that is free and at peace. We pray that you can understand that your life will find its fullest meaning not in this world but in the next.

"Because this is what you were born for. Your Creator and Father made you for this. We will do our part to make this possible; but you will have to do your part, too, because your future will also depend on you and the choices you make -- and it will be up to you to welcome baby 8 billion."

Sanctity of Life

This key concept can be derived three ways from our syllabus.

1. Natural Law sees the rational purpose of all human beings to preserve life. So the killing of innocent being is intrinsically wrong (against the eternal law as understood by rational creatures). The sacredness of life is a key value if humans are to flourish, individually and collectively, in society. From natural law we derive the idea of natural rights as expressed in the Declaration of Independence of the thirteen American states in 1776. This appeals to "the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them..."
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, which among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness".
Aquinas would oppose abortion and euthanasia because of the consequences for human flourishing (as well as on Scriptural grounds). For example, Aquinas argues suicide is wrong because "every man is part of the community, and so, as such, he belongs to the community. Hence by killing himself he injures the community" (ST II II Q64). This relationship between our action and flourishing of the community allows the Catholic Church to proclaim that,
"Every human life is sacred, because every human person is sacred. It is in the light of this fundamental truth that the church constantly proclaims and defends the dignity of human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death."
This right to life itself is fundamental because it forms the basis for the enjoyment of society - and Aquinas would only support capital punishment or war if a clear case can be made that it is for the common good (eudaimonia, the Greek word for happiness or flourishing).

2. Kant dedicated his life to developing a moral theory that has at its heart universal human rights. This is best illustrated by the second formulation of the categorical imperative - the principle of ends. "Treat people not merely as a means to an end but always also as an end in themselves". If we universalise our common humanity in this way we give everyone - from the humblest to the most exalted, full dignity, respect and value. A key part of this "value" is the absolute right to life. Suicide and euthanasia would be seen by Kant to be morally wrong - a contradiction in nature, creating a perfect duty of preservation of life.

3. Christian ethics. The Bible speaks of man and woman created in God's image and knit together by God in the womb (Psalm 139:6). Each human being is a unique and special creation - so special that God sent his much-loved son to give his life to bring us back from our wayward ways. We belong to God in two ways - he made us and then purchased us a second time through the blood of his Son (redemption means to "buy back" from sin). "You are not your own", says Paul, "you were bought at a price". We are like the beloved Prodigal Son who comes home after a life of waste and foolishness, to be met by a waiting Father. God alone, says Job, appoints the time of our death - this is not our choice