by Sophia Golec

Posted on April 19, 2013

The Catholic Church hosted a three-day conference this April 13th on the topic of stem cell research. This conference has been hailed as unusual because of the Catholic Church’s longstanding animosity towards the use of stem cells for research. The Pontificate collaborated with STOQ International and The Stem for Life Foundation to promote dialogue between the Church and the scientific world. Objections originated in the use of embryonic stem cells, a method of obtaining stem cells from human embryos, a practice that the Church condemned as homicide, abortion and bodily mutation.

The stem-cell conference apparently marks the beginning of the Church’s new attitude of attempting to not “intervene only negatively”, as Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi told the Wall Street Journal. This change in attitude stems largely from the discovery of stem cells in adult human bodies, located in white blood cells or bone marrow.

Stem cell research appears poised to aid in the study of multiple major diseases, including multiple sclerosis, cancer, and issues related to organ transplantation. The global presence of stem-cell products continues to grow, with a projected jump in value to $7 billion dollars by 2020.

The use of adult cells for stem cell research has abetted most of the Church’s original objections. Scientists are cautiously optimistic about the newfound acceptance, though some remain unsure about the Church’s continuing rejection of embryonic stem cell research.

Source: Christopher Emsden of the Wall Street Journal

Source: Rebecca Taylor of Life News