Vatican City (Fides Service) - "Life cannot be treated as merchandise" the Italian Bishops say in their message for 25th Pro Life Day on 2 February. Bishop Elio Sgreccia, vice president of the Pontifical Academy for Life told Fides Service: "the human being is not a consumer to be studied, manipulated, used"
Fides Service asked Bishop Sgreccia to explain his statement.
2Selling and buying human life is not only exploitation in forms of prostitution, paedophilia, sad to say there are other forms just as serious such as scientific research, economic saving in health administration. For example today the United Nations are discussing the use of human embryos, frozen, or cloned for stem cells to treat certain diseases. These cells are put on the market which starts its trade with research laboratories. It is said these cells are necessary for curing diseases, but this is untrue. It is not necessary to "kill" another human being to obtain stem cells; these can be obtained from people who are alive. Selling embryos for a rented uterus and renting uterus are other forms of market for artificial procreation. More subtle forms are those which affect the health-care market. Forms treated in laboratory are given priority over those supplied by health-care administrations. No one is concerned when an old person is abandoned in a home or poor countries in Africa have no medicines. All this affects the health-care market and the Bishops have done well to issue this message. We must protect the dignity of the human person, the most precious value in the world". AP See Italian Bishops' message in Italian at www.fides.org