National Academies Guidelines for stem cell research are ethically irresponsible, says Austin Ruse of the Culture of Life Foundation. His position is a familiar one, but has not been made with regard to NAS guidelines.
"These guidelines are both inadequate and disingenuous," Ruse said. "The members of the Academies are attempting to give the appearance that they are offering thoughtful and temperate solutions. The reality is that their belief in the total acceptability of destroying human life in its most vulnerable stage for the purposes of scientific research prohibits them from producing an ethically acceptable set of principles. If there was any question that these members are not offering a truly moderate solution, the fact that they refuse to call for a ban on the creation of animal-human hybrids should remove any doubt."
Much more interesting, to date the President's Commission on Bioethics has been silent on the guidelines. That fact is remarkable in part because the guidelines come from the nation's official science body, but also because they are so directly in conflict with the stated views of Leon Kass and with the stated position of the PCB.
