35. THE QUESTION WAS: What did Pope John Paul II and U.S. bishops urge President Bush to do in 2001?

a. reject the funding of research on embryonic stem cells

b. reject the funding of research on adult stem cells

c. reject the funding of research on baby animal stem cells

THE ANSWER IS….A…..they urged him to REJECT federal funding for EMBRYONIC STEM-CELL research.

The Church opposes researchers who want to create and destroy human embryos to harvest cells. The teaching is rooted in the Church’s 2,000-year teaching that the end does not justify the means. In other words, an evil, harmful act cannot be tolerated even if it leads to a benefit for another.

The Church does not oppose, and actually encourages, adult stem-cell research. For example, the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia donated over $26,000 to adult stem cell research.

President Bush announced he’d allow funding for research on 64 lines of embryonic stem cells, thus disappointing the pope.

ARTICLES ON THE CATHOLIC STANCE

http://www.americancatholic.org/News/StemCell/default.asp#Background (Backgrounder: Pope and President)

http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac0102.asp (Stem-Cell Research and Catholic Teaching)

http://www.americancatholic.org/News/StemCell/ask_stemcell.asp (Is Stem-Cell Research Moral?)

http://www.americancatholic.org/News/StemCell/bishops_stemcell.asp (U.S. Bishops Protest Embryo Stem-Cell Research)

http://www.americancatholic.org/News/StemCell/pope_to_bush.asp (Pope John Paul II Addresses President Bush)

http://www.eclj.org/news/euro_news_010723_pope_message.asp (European Center for Law & Justice)

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