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THE QUESTION
The (Im)Morality of Stem Cell Research
When he lifted the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, President Obama said, "As a person of faith . . . I believe we have been given the capacity and will to pursue this research . . . and the humanity and conscience to do so responsibly." Do you agree?
Posted by
Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham on March 10, 2009 3:23 AM
FROM THE PANEL
A Victory for Truth
Thank God we now have a president who will remove both political ideology and religious bias from the pursuit of truth in the scientific arena.
Posted by John Shelby Spong, on March 16, 2009 10:59 AM
Politicizing Faith and Life
It's peculiar that President Obama sees himself as a "person of faith" when it comes to lifting restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, but he is an agnostic when it comes to abortion. Apparently, Obama's faith serves his politics and not the reverse.
Posted by Cal Thomas, on March 10, 2009 9:29 AM
A Pro-Life Position Most Religious People Embrace
Jewish tradition requires that we use all available knowledge to heal the ill, and "when one delays in doing so, it is as if he has shed blood" (Shulchan Aruch, Yorei De`ah 336:1--the authoritative 16th century code of Jewish Law).
Posted by David Saperstein, on March 10, 2009 8:36 AM
A "Slippery Slope" Only If We're Stupid
The same human reason that propels science can also erect ethical barriers to certain medical practices; the "slippery slope" is inevitable only if we are too stupid or too cowardly to make important moral distinctions.
Posted by Susan Jacoby, on March 10, 2009 7:59 AM
Resistance to Stem Cell Research About Fear, Not Faith
The vast majority of arguments, both religion-based and otherwise, against embryonic stem cell research are rooted in fear about the future abuse of capacities we already possess or soon will. So this is really about our faith in each other more than our faith in God.
Posted by Brad Hirschfield, on March 10, 2009 6:44 AM
Words Have Meaning
If, as medical science has now established, life begins at conception, how can he as a person of faith countenance the taking of life, even in its earliest stages?
Posted by Charles "Chuck" Colson, on March 10, 2009 6:16 AM
Obama's Arrogance and God's Judgment
Without study and by proclamation, the President has created a monstrous policy that has no precedent in American history.
Posted by John Mark Reynolds, on March 10, 2009 4:17 AM
Who Would Jesus Heal, and How?
Jesus' answer to a world crying out for healing was to heal each and every disease, no matter how frightening.
Posted by Phil Davis, on March 10, 2009 1:59 AM
From Where I Sit, As a Cancer Survivor
The President made the moral choice, in my view. As someone who is in remission, and whose diagnosis makes it clear that I will one day face treating my cancer again, medical advances are personally poignant to me. But even were that not the case, I would support the research.
Posted by David Wolpe, on March 10, 2009 1:59 AM
The Faith We Need Here is Not in the Almighty
Giving power to scientists and politicians means that the real rational response is a great deal of prayer.
Posted by Adin Steinsaltz, on March 10, 2009 12:53 AM
One Step Closer to Sound Science
Public policies in our government are to reflect not a particular religious or ideological perspective but what is best for the health and welfare of our nation's citizens based on the guidance, in this instance, of sound science.
Posted by Welton Gaddy, on March 10, 2009 12:29 AM
Finally, a President with Faith in Science
Shame on the churches generally, and particularly on those who have influenced people to think that science and faith in God are incompatible.
Posted by William Tully, on March 10, 2009 12:28 AM
Why Destroy Life? We Have Better Alternatives
Conscience will never allow us to use and destroy humans beings -- small as they may be -- for the sake of research, no matter how promising. To do so would be to lose our own humanity.
Posted by Thomas G. Bohlin, on March 10, 2009 12:17 AM
Life Abundant
I am glad President Obama, as a person of faith, lifted the ban on stem cell research. I believe that God wants people to have the best quality of life they possibly can.
Posted by Susan K. Smith, on March 10, 2009 12:12 AM
Stem Cell Research vs. Idolatry
Human life begins at conception: each conceptus and embryo is a human being. But the pre-fetal stages of human life should be open to scientific study and medical use.
Posted by Willis E. Elliott, on March 10, 2009 12:09 AM
God Gave us Minds to Use to Improve Life
God gave us minds and hearts and heads, and that it is for us to use that God given intelligence to conduct research that could improve human wellbeing and human life expectancy.
Posted by Julia Neuberger, on March 10, 2009 12:05 AM
God is Present!
I agree with President Obama. The whole Judeo-Christian emphasis is upon life.
Posted by Gardner Calvin Taylor, on March 10, 2009 12:01 AM
Science for People or Profit?
If stem cell research submits to the profit motive, then the sacrifice of the nation's conscience to bring about relief for those who are really suffering will be a heavy price to pay.
Posted by Arun Gandhi, on March 10, 2009 12:00 AM
Obama's Stem Cell Temptations
In marginalizing religiously informed critiques of public policy, including stem cell research, Obama is unintentionally spinning a kind of religious narrative of his own that has equally sectarian implications.
Posted by Mathew N. Schmalz, on March 7, 2009 1:12 PM
The Moral Imperative to Relieve Suffering: Embryonic Stem Cell Research
There is a clear moral imperative, shared across many religions, to relieve suffering and promote healing. This is a strong ground on which to base religious arguments for embryonic stem cell research.
Posted by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, on March 6, 2009 5:33 PM
FEATURED COMMENTS
radbam: Essentially, Judaism triages the competing moral principles judiciously, sensitively and well. Pikuah Nefesh--the saving of life--trumps al...
kert1: Science is not a god, nor is it an end unto itself. Science has great capacity to create or destroy. The real question is what will this s...
Think2: We are rapidly discovering the secrets of God in many fields. We have the means to create life, but cannot seem to sustain life which is no...
