The Hermeneutic of Continuity

Thanks to SPUC News , I read this article from the Canadian broadcaster CTV: Adult stem cell studies far ahead of embryonic research . It tells of many possible treatments and fruitful areas of research that have been developed using adult stem cells: For all the emotional debate that began about a decade ago to allow the use of embryonic stem cells, it is adult stem cells that are in human testing today. An extensive review of stem cell projects and interviews with two dozen experts reveal a wide range of potential treatments. We would say, of course, that the debate is not simply a matter of emotion but of the evil of experimenting on human embryos and destroying them in the interests of research. Still, the debate is often emotional as well, and it is good to be "in the loop" when information such as this is published. The article gives a number of examples of treatments which have saved tens of thousands of lives each year using the ethical process of extracting adult ...

The Daily Mail reports today that Biologist Karim Nayernia has created a cocktail of chemicals and vitamins that have turned human stem cells into sperm. The procedure is hailed as a "treatment" for male infertility. We are given some further details of how the research is envisaged as progressing: Viewed through a microscope, they have heads and tails and swim like normal sperm, and Professor Nayernia is 'convinced' they would be capable of fertilising eggs and creating babies. He has more safety checks to carry out but plans to apply for permission to use some of the artificial sperm to fertilise eggs for research purposes. (See: Ethical storm flares as British scientists create artificial sperm from human stem cells - and do vote in the poll today if possible.) John Harris, Professor of Bioethics at the University of Manchester says: I cannot see a downside to research that increases the range of human possibility and choice. (See: Independent, A world without me...

Thanks to @AnnaArco on Twitter for the link to this BBC article on embryo testing: Universal embryo test 'very near' . It is an extroardinary example of skirting round the essential point. The test will be able to discover any of 15,000 genetic defects. There are worries about it being used to discover "less serious" conditions and thus result in "designer babies". But the whole point of any of these tests is to arrange for the abortion of babies that have "abnormalities". You can call them "abnormalities" when it is a case of an unborn child - it seems that there is no need to scruple about language for children who can be killed to order.

The ProLife Alliance currently have two petitions running; one concerns the right to life of the human embryo, and the second calls for the rejection of abortion adverts on TV and radio. (Don't forget the 10 Downing Street Petition against abortion advertising.)

A priest correspondent has looked up the list of Catholic MPs in the Catholic Directory and compared it to the list of those voting in favour of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill at third reading. The result makes one wonder whether it is worth bothering to include a list of Catholic MPs in the Directory if so many of them are going to vote in favour of hybrid embryos and embryo experimentation. The following voted for the Bill: 1) Des Browne 2) Andy Burnham 3) David Cairns 4) Rosie Cooper 5) Paul Goggins 6) Meg Hillier 7) Huw Irranca-Davies 8) Helen Jones 9) Barbara Keeley 10) Peter Kilfoyle 11) Thomas McAvoy 12) Pat McFadden 13) Anne McGuire 14) Ann McKechin 15) Jim Murphy 16) Paul Murphy (Papal Knight) 17) Mike O'Brien 18) Chris Ruane 19) Helen Southworth 20) Don Touhig (Papal Knight) The list does not include those who abstained. (Here is a link to the relevant page in Hansard )

Cardinal O'Brien's open letter to Gordon Brown has been widely reported. He has compared the HFE Bill to the atrocities of the Nazis. (See: Embryo bill like Nazi atrocities, says Cardinal ) In September, I wrote about an essay by Malcolm Muggeridge in which he pointed out that the euthanasia programme in Germany was initiated by medical professionals before the Nazi party had risen to power. (See: "The life thou gavest, Lord, we've ended" ) The book entitled The Permission to Destroy Life Unworthy of Life was published by Alfred Hoche and Karl Binding in 1920. Many people start shrieking and wailing when the "N word" is used in relation to "culture of death" policies. It may be helpful to point out that the euthanasia of the disabled was already in place well before Hitler and the nazis rose to power. The medical establishment had paved the way for the gross atrocities of the National Socialists. In the same way today, our morally bankrupt app...

The Third Reading of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Bill will take place on Wednesday 22 October. As well as the horrendous elements of the Bill itself, ( summary here ) a number of amendments have been tabled for debate and voting at the report stage (earlier in the same day). SPUC have a list of actions that you can take and in addition to these, we must pray hard at this time. The Rosary Crusade of Reparation this coming Saturday is very timely - the intention is for the downfall of this bill. There is also the 1000 Crosses for Life procession the following Saturday, 18 October. For a flavour of the kinds of arguments used in favour of the HFE Bill, see my post from last May on the second reading: Massive majority for monster creation bill .

Yesterday, John Smeaton, the Director of SPUC asked Archbishop Nichols to correct and clarify his statement on the value of embryonic human life . The problematic words were: "What is the value that we give to human life in its first beginnings. Now clearly it's not the same as we would give to another adult sitting next to me." I agree with John that this needs to be corrected and clarified since we do not give a higher value or a lower value to human life on the basis of age, whether before or after birth. John has quite rightly quoted the relevant passages from Donum Vitae and Evangelium Vitae . It is fair to say that Archbishop Nichols was put under pressure during the programme on BBc 4's World at One yesterday. Most of the time was given to a "catholic" doctor who made a passionate case for a saviour sibling for his own child. After an extensive and entirely unopposed presentation, the Archbishop was immediately dumped right into the mire; "Very...

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons last night. MPs voted by 340 votes to 78 to support in principle the creation of hybrids, cybrids, and the creation of embryos for the purposes of experimetation. The debate was opened at 3.36pm by Alan Johnson and finished with the division at 9.59pm. This link takes you to the beginning of the report in Hansard . If you have five and a hours to spare you can watch the Parliament TV recording . I have read the debate and simply offer here a few notes and observations. Alan Johnson referred to the bill as a "flagship Government bill" and it was clear throughout that although much rhetoric was used about the importance of scientific progress, this is fundamentally a debate about the validity of secular humanist philosophy. So, for example, John Bercow said (Col 1100): I take an empiricist, pragmatic, instrumental view, rather than the view that some abstract principle should inveigh a...

Cardinal O'Brien speaking about the Human Fertilisation and Embryology bill: H/T to John Smeaton, SPUC Director

From Catholic Family News : Dr A. Majid Katme(IMA) emails : 'British Muslims fully support the Catholic Leaders, Ministers and MPs in their opposition to the (Human Fertilisation & Embryology Bill), the worst Bill in the history of Britain, they will continue with their letter campaign to the MPs in order to oppose this inhumane, destructive and immoral bill . . . Signed by: -Islamic Medical Association(IMA) -Muslim Doctors Association(MDA) -Islamic Medical Ethics Forum(IMEF) -Union of Muslim Organisations(UMO) H/T Catholic Action UK

When boarding the plane to Helsinki, it was good to see front page coverage in the papers of various sermons made by Bishops concerning the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. In an excellent sermon at the Easter Vigil , Bishop O'Donoghue made the straightforward plea: Please stop the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. Stop exploiting embryonic human beings, and support adult stem cell research instead. Cardinal O'Brien was equally forthright in his Easter Sunday sermon: This bill represents a monstrous attack on human rights, human dignity and human life. In a sort of "J-turn", Prime Minister Gordon Brown has now allowed a free vote on three "ethical aspects" of the HFE bill. However, they will still be required by the party whip to vote in favour of the Bill as a whole - which rather negates the right to vote according to conscience. essentially, he has admitted the injustice of his former position but not effective corrected it. The Telegraph h...

Sorry, when I posted on the new blog about the HFE bill, I forgot to put in the link. Here it is: STAND UP- Human Fertilisation and Embryology bill

Niamh has started a blog to give information about the Human and Fertilisation and Embryology bill. ( STAND UP- Human Fertilisation and Embryology bill ) She says: It has arisen from a campaign that I did with Fr Julian Green in the South Birmingham deanery for which I spent many hours digesting all the facts on the bill and regurgitating them so that the average person would be able to understand. Lots of good info already there including advice on how to write to your MP.

A petition was recently launched on the important question of allowing a free vote on the HFE Bill which is one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation to come before Parliament in recent years. We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to allow free votes on the embryology and fathers components of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill when considered by the House of Commons. Further information: There is a tradition when dealing with matters of conscience that MPs are not whipped. This is particularly true when it comes to human embryos. When the 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill was considered by Parliament the (then) government allowed free votes on all matters up until the final vote. The joint committee on the draft Human Tissues and Embryos bill recommended that this approach be adopted for questions over embryology and the role of fathers, but the Brown government has said that free votes will only be allowed on abortion. This decision suggests that th...

The Human Tissue and Embryos Bill is due to be introduced into Parliament in November. The Bill is a matter of serious concern for all who promote the sanctity of human life. It would provide greater scope for embryos to be produced for research, allow more embryos to be destroyed in the process of IVF, and legalise the creation of cybrids, hybrids and chimeras. The Bill will even allow sperm or eggs to be extracted from children or the unconscious in some circumstances without their consent. The progress of the Bill will also provide an opportunity for amendments to be tabled to change the existing law on abortion. Although the current availability of abortion is very bad, changes could be made to the law which would make things much worse. The current overwhelming pro-abortion majority in Parliament means that amendments would be brought in to increase the overall availability of abortion. SPUC has started a campaign focussing on this bill. They also have a very useful briefing pa...

Interesting news in the Times: Stem-cell storage firm takes Branson into biotech sector . Richard Branson is investing in stem cell storage from the placenta or the umbilical cord after birth. This is good news if he is going to keep out of embryonic stem cells. Sadly, David Robertson, the author of the article, obviously finds the whole ethical thing a bit challenging. He says, Some anti-abortion groups believe that any use of stem cells will lead to human cloning. Listen my dear chap. EMBRYOS - baby human beings - killing them: that's what we don't like. Taking blood from the umbilical cord really is a different thing. Think about it.

Jeff Miller (The Curt Jester) quotes Dr. Markus Grompe, director of Oregon Health & Science University's Stem Cell Center. The good Doctor is a Catholic and insists that ethical principles should be paramount in his work. He accepts that embryonic stem cells might have some advantages: they can be "grown" in unlimited quantities, for example. However, he says As Catholics, we need to stick to the facts and the truth. The reason we object to embryonic stem-cell research is not because the cells are not good or the adult cells are better. The real reason is that we have moral and ethical objections. We have to stick to our guns. Just because a medical procedure is immoral doesn't mean it will not work. As Jeff says: The main point should be that it is simply wrong to use a human person in experiments. Though you can easily understand by the ineffectiveness of ESCR so far has been much touted since it is an easy point to make. Much harder in the current culture to sp...

This weekend, I will be speaking at Mass about the sanctity of human life and particularly of the embryo. I will need to say something about IVF because I think that some Catholic couples are unaware that it is wrong. I'm aware that on this issue, some people may need a bit more information than I can give in a sermon. It is also vital that people can find morally acceptable alternatives if necessary (e.g. Life Fertility Care and NAPRO .) I have posted a page on my parish website a page on the morality of IVF . If you have a chance, do take a look and let me have any comments. How does this fit in with the Sunday readings? See the Psalm: The Lord protects the simple hearts; I was helpless so he saved me

One of the most interesting results of research that Fr Fleming reported today was on the differentiation that is present in the human embryo from conception. You can read a summary of the results of this research in an article from the news features section of Nature : Your Destiny, From Day One . This research shows that the understanding of the embryo in its early stages as a featureless bundle of cells is no longer tenable. It also fatally undermines the old notion that "personhood" can only come about after the potential for twinning has been passed (about 14 days). Far earlier than this, the embryo is differentiating rapidly. Twinning could best be seen as a type of natural cloning where both the original embryo and the "younger" twin are indisputably human lives from the moment they begin to exist as such.