Catholics consider ethical implications of stem-cell research
Topic kicks off first local ‘Theology in the City’ event

By Ambria Hammel, The Catholic Sun
April 5, 2007

Oftentimes, Catholics limit their study of theology to the classroom or church. Brophy College Preparatory partnered with the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley last month to bring the study into the community.

They launched “Theology in the City,” a series of talks that apply theological principles and Catholic morality to current issues.

“The Phoenix area really hungers for theological reflection and dialogue,” said Patti Franz, Brophy’s director of development, who brought the series to the diocese.

That was apparent when 130 people attended the first presentation March 18. Lisa Fullam, a professor in moral theology at the Jesuit school in Berkeley who also holds a degree in medicine, addressed the biology and ethics of stem-cell research.

“We got to hear the best and the deepest of Church thinking about this, incorporating the viewpoints of all those who stand on different sides of the issue,” said Tricia Hoyt, director of the diocesan Office of Peace and Justice.

Fullam reminded the audience that stem-cell therapy has already had successful uses with bone marrow transplants and could also benefit those with juvenile diabetes, spinal cord injury, certain types of cancer and other diseases.

“Most of what we hope for, for stem-cell research, is probably at least a decade into the future,” Fullam said.

Her talk focused on the ethics of embryonic stem-cell research. The Church is opposed to the destruction of human embryos and the harvesting of their stem cells for research.

Adult stem-cell research is not against Church teaching.

Fullam framed her 45-minute talk around virtue ethics, which doesn’t focus on “right and wrong.” Instead, it “says the traits of character that we cultivate in ourselves are going to determine how we act in the world,” Fullam explained. “Our actions create, build, shape our character and we act in turn out of our character.”

She said fidelity, courage, justice and what Fullam calls “epistemological humility” play into virtue ethics.

Epistemological humility involves being honest about what is known and not known. Catholics know, for example, that human life is to be protected from the point of conception and that it’s wrong to directly kill innocent people.

“When, then, does a human embryo become a human person?” Fullam questioned.

She said classical theology holds that it’s when one gets a soul. Biology, however, doesn’t label a starting point because human life is a continuum. Fullam argued that personhood could occur any time within a 14-day window after conception.

When a person is a person

Before he was pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote in 1987 about the presence of a person as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

“No experimental datum can be in itself sufficient to bring us to the recognition of a spiritual soul,” he wrote in Donum Vitae, a document about respecting human life.

Ratzinger added that science provides a valuable indication for discerning a personal presence at the first moment of human life.

“This doctrinal reminder provides the fundamental criterion for the solution of various problems posed by the development of the biomedical sciences in this field,” Ratzinger wrote.

Virtue ethics, which is influenced by St. Thomas Aquinas’ theology, also involves courage. This requires action.

“You gotta decide. You gotta do something” about the question of stem-cell research, Fullam said. She hopes the decision that shapes public policy will be the most prudential.

It becomes especially relevant when discerning if stem-cell therapy is a just move, she said.

Those living by virtue ethics also factor in fidelity and justice. Fidelity requires faithfulness and compassion for those suffering from diseases that might benefit from stem-cell therapy.

“A biomedical issue is also a justice and economic issue,” Hoyt said.

Fullam presented a string of justice questions for Catholics to ponder. She said they have to think about the effects costly research on preliminary stem-cell treatments would have on society.

“What are we going to say to the 46 million Americans who do not have medical insurance and are dying from a lack of medical care now? What do we say to the 3,000 people who will die today in Africa from a lack of clean water or the 5,000 who will die in subsets of Africa from AIDS?” Fullam asked.

“How do we explain this research priority to them?” she continued.

Fullam also encouraged Catholics to consider the effects of egg donations. It could increase in order to create more embryonic cells to experiment with in the lab.

At the same time, they should also keep in mind the benefits of adult stem-cell research. Fr. Joseph Kukura, president of the Catholic HealthCare Partnership of New Jersey, led all Catholic hospitals in the state to commit to donating umbilical-cord and placenta blood for adult stem-cell research.

Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark said it will help find cures for diseases without sacrificing human life.

Franz, who organized the Phoenix event, hoped guests left with something to think about.

“The point was to raise questions in light of our faith,” she said.

The next “Theology in the City” will be held in the fall.

Catholic News Service contributed to this story.