God and the Embryo: Religious Voices on Stem Cells and Cloning

Rating:
Summary: Ethics In the Face of Uncertainties
Review: This book is a well done collection of essays on the controversial subject of stem cells and cloning from various religious perspectives.

While all were fascinating to read, several caught my attention.
Especially Fitzgerald's, the main subject of his essay being the title chosen for this review. He makes the salient point that there are pervading issues of uncertainty on this controversial issue of stem cell research, especially in the two areas that some would make it seem it's a slam dunk: scientific and medical. What is not told enough to the general public about this issue is that there are equally if not more promising technologies out there to benefit disease and suffering than stem cell. Further, he shows how some of the previous track record of science in promising huge societal returns if society will only let science take the ethical risks have not only not fulfilled their beneficial promises, but have brought about tragic and troubling ethical/medical results. He further intimates that the results of some already stem cell research has brought more opening of "ethical can of worms" than it has solved. These need to be thought out, and he argues convincingly that science needs to provide more justification for such contentious reserach before gaining go ahead approval. Just playing the old "religion vs. science" card doesn't fit here, nor should it be played.

Many other essayists bring out what is not really being discussed enough: source of stem cells. In vitro has allowed a supposed research population, with too much assumption about "eggs ready for research". Possibly this is area that society has a whole has been too uninformed and needs to reconsider. The supposed right to have a child at any cost mentality and ethic that has spurned such an industry and frozen embryo population has brought about this bioethic dillemma,now seeping into stem cell and cloning. James Peterson gives an insightful essay into this source issue.

The highly fluid discussion of any moral status the embryo might have is engaged uniquely by Brent Waters. He suggests we turn to a most useful concept is our judging of this" our neighbor.

Since this issue is in the news and the 2004 Presidential election, citizens interested in various religious views will be served well with this work. It includes some major religious confessional bodies' statement as well as the President's Council of Bioethics statement as well appendixed.