The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) will recommend abolishing a longstanding ethical limitation on human embryo research. For decades the scientific community has observed the so-call 14-day rule. This ethical guideline—first formulated in the United Kingdom under the Warnock Commission in the mid-1980s—requires that embryos may only be gestated for 14 days after …
Continue...Mary has been a resident of West Valley Assisted Living Center for three years. She has a new caregiver named Harvey. Harvey visits Mary’s room every morning at 8:30 a.m. sharp. He says, “Hellllooo!” and slowly pushes open her door. Harvey brings Mary her morning medication, takes her blood pressure, and asks, “How are you …
Continue...Although it is not without controversy, even those who defend the sanctity of every unborn human life recognize that there might be at least one exception. What do we do when a mother’s right to life conflicts with an unborn child’s right to life? What is a “right to life”? Before dealing with a potential …
Continue...Peter Singer, Princeton’s Ira W. Decamp Professor of Bioethics in the University Center for Human Values, is (in)famous for his arguments about personhood. For Singer, only beings that have sentience can appropriately be describe as persons. Sentience is the ability to experience conscious pleasure and pain. Conscious pain is that interior state of mind that …
Continue...I had the dubious distinction of graduating from high school in 1973, the year Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton where handed down by the Supreme Court, giving the U.S. the most permissive abortion policy in the Western world. I remember well the question everyone was asking at that time: “When does human life …
Continue...The movie “Jurassic Park” contains many memorable lines, but perhaps none as haunting as when mathematician Ian Malcolm (played by Jeff Goldblum) declares, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” There might have been a time in the history of science where the …
Continue...A recent essay in MIT’s magazine, Technology Review, tells the story of a family who were offered pre-implantation genetic testing in order to avoid having a child with a particular genetic disease. The article, “Designer Babies Aren’t Futuristic. They’re Already Here,” rehearses some of the reasons why couples might want to choose their children’s genetics, …
Continue...Imagine you're a pastor of a church, and a young, godly couple in your congregation comes to you after a prolonged season of infertility seeking your counsel on whether to pursue IVF (In Vitro Fertilization). What counsel would you offer them? Here’s how I would approach it: First, I would thank them for their confidence …
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