Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Sydney (Agenzia Fides) - “Pro-cloners put scientific or commercial curiosity ahead of human life” said Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney, with regard to proposed new therapeutic cloning laws being discussed by the Australian parliament. The Cardinal said cloning “is an affront to human dignity” philosophically, anthropologically and morally unsustainable.
“We pray that parliament will make a decision based on universal ethics not on populist rhetoric”, Cardinal Pell added. He made these comments after a survey of senators by The Australian suggested a private member’s Bill that would lift a ban on cloning was likely to be passed when it is debated in the Senate. Therapeutic cloning occurs when a scientist injects genetic material into a human or animal egg that has been stripped of its nucleus. Researchers would allow the resulting embryo to grow for up to 14 days and harvest its stem cells for research.
While supporters believe the technique could lead to major developments in the war against disease, Cardinal Pell said all Christians not just Catholics held the protection of innocent life as a basic human value and an issue of justice: “No theology is necessary to hold this view”, said Cardinal Pell. “This view, certainly compatible with Catholic faith, is based on natural law - broad ethical principles accessible to everyone - which places the protection of human life above the casual or commercial curiosity of scientists”.
Cardinal Pell said the protection of human life in medical research was enforced every day, citing complex consent mechanisms required for proposed human drug trials. But he said pro-cloners seemed to believe that such principles should be suspended because of the possible research benefits stemming from cloning.
The position of the Catholic Church is backed by the other faiths in Australia, and public opinion appears to be very prudent in this matter.
Chief executive officer of Catholic Health Australia Francis O’Sullivan, also backed Cardinal Pell’s comments on the cloning bill say that parliamentarians will struggle to find a convincing case to expand the licence in embryo experimentation or to justify legalised human cloning.
In a statement issued recently in view of the debate on the cloning Bill, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Australia said the proposed bill is another “offence to life”, since it allows the “creation of human embryos for destruction to allow scientific research”. The Bishops said they were against cloning “not because we are Catholics, but because we support fundamental human values”. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 6/11/2006 righe 31 parole 325)
