Mirror of Justice

Notre Dame's adult-stem-cell-research ad and initiative

Today, at halftime of Notre Dame's pathetic disappointing loss to Navy, this ad -- which describes a research project that uses adult stem cells and proclaims Notre Dame's commitment to life from conception to natural death -- ran.  And, this new webpage, on Notre Dame's Initiative on Adult Stem Cells and Ethics, was launched. Among other things, the new webpage has this:

The Catholic Church has been a robust participant in the ethical debate over stem cell research. It has vigorously opposed the use and destruction of embryos on the grounds that it constitutes the unjust taking of innocent human life for the benefit of others.

The Church’s argument follows from two premises.

First, as modern embryology confirms, the human embryo is a living, complete, whole, integrated, self-directing, member of the human species who will, if given the proper environment, move itself along a trajectory of development to the next mature stage.

Second, all human beings possess an equal moral worth and dignity, regardless of age, condition of vulnerability or dependence, circumstance, or the value of their life as judged by others.

Accordingly, “the use of human embryos or fetuses as an object of experimentation constitutes a crime against their dignity as human beings who have a right to the same respect owed to a child once born, just as to every person.” (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction Dignitas Personae on Certain Bioethical Questions).

Thus, Catholic researchers and research institutions are morally prohibited from participating in such research, either directly (i.e., deriving the embryonic stem cell lines), or indirectly (i.e., “there is a duty to refuse to use such “biological material” even when there is no close connection between the researcher and the actions of those who performed the artificial fertilization or the abortion, or when there was no prior agreement with the centers in which the artificial fertilization took place.” Id.).

At the same time, the rich tradition of the Church embraces “science [as] an invaluable service to the integral good of the life and dignity of every human being,” and “hopes …that the results of [biomedical] research may also be made available in areas of the world that are poor and afflicted by disease, so that most in need will receive humanitarian assistance,” (Id.)

In service of this goal, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith recently urged scientists and research institutions to “dedicate themselves to the progress of biomedicine and [to] bear witness to their faith in the field.” (Id.).

Concretely, in the same instruction, the Church explicitly noted that “research initiatives involving the use of adult stem cells, since they do not present ethical problems, should be encouraged and supported.”

Notre Dame is uniquely situated to take up this charge by exploring cutting-edge adult stem cell research (along with other forms of stem cell research that do not require the use and destruction of human beings at any stage of development) in the name of the common good.

In this way, Notre Dame aims to bear witness to the proposition that respect for the dignity of the human person and devotion to excellence in science are integral and indispensable components of the richest understanding of the ends of biomedical research.

This is, of course, not enough; Notre Dame (and, of course, other Catholic universities) needs to do more to move the ball, and spread the word, on the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the human person.  But, it seems to me, this is a good thing.  Lots and lots of people (true, many of them were probably throwing things at their TV, angered by the Irish's performance) were reminded, on NBC, of the inviolable dignity of every person.

Remember, remember, the Fifth of November

Today is "Guy Fawkes Day" (or, more precisely, for our friends across the Pond, tonight is Bonfire Night),  

When I was in first grade, my public school celebrated Guy Fawkes Day.  It did not strike me as strange at the time, though it certainly does now.  (Probably because of this guy, Henry Garnet, S.J., who was executed for not revealing the Gunpowder Plot, about which he is sometimes said to have learned in confession.)  Should it?  Would a public school's celebration of Guy Fawkes Day communicate to Justice O'Connor's famous "reasonable observer" that she was an outsider in the political community?  Certainly, that was long the celebration's purpose.  General Washington raised some eyebrows when he told his soldiers to refrain from burning the Pope in effigy as part of their celebration:

As the Commander in Chief has been apprized of a design form’d for the observance of that ridiculous and childish custom of burning the Effigy of the pope–He cannot help expressing his surprise that there should be Officers and Soldiers in this army so void of common sense, as not to see the impropriety of such a step at this Juncture; at a Time when we are solliciting, and have really obtain’d, the friendship and alliance of the people of Canada, whom we ought to consider as Brethren embarked in the same Cause. The defence of the general Liberty of America: At such a juncture, and in such Circumstances, to be insulting their Religion, is so monstrous, as not to be suffered or excused; indeed instead of offering the most remote insult, it is our duty to address public thanks to these our Brethren, as to them we are so much indebted for every late happy Success over the common Enemy in Canada.

In any event, instead of burning Fawkes, or waxing rhapsodic about how liberty, individualism, and all that is good were saved when the (alleged) Plot was thwarted, maybe we should read a little Eamon Duffy, and think about what England was.

Welcome home, Michael

I suspect I speak for many MOJ readers and bloggers when I say how wonderful and inspiring it has been to have had Michael's faith-filled dispatches from the Camino these past few weeks.  What a blessed experience this been for him, and for all of us.  Thanks, Michael!

"Law & Order" (pleasantly) surprises

Although the show has been on for nearly 20 years, I am pretty sure I've seen every episode of the original Law & Order series.  (Don't worry -- this is not going to become a TV blog.  After all, it is a "law" show.)  This notwithstanding its (to me, maddening) tendency to mis-handle story-lines that involve the Catholic Church, priests, abortion, assisted suicide, etc.  A recent episode, "Dignity", was a striking exception.  Well done!  Steve Dillard has more at First Things.

"Reformation Day"

Timothy George has posted some thoughts, over at First Things, on the occasion of "Reformation Day."

"Two There Are"?, again

Following up on Rob's post, which called our attention to two recent federal-district-court opinions, here's another decision, out of the European Court of Human Rights, that seems troubling for similar "political authority overreaching and interfering in church polity" reasons.

"The worst thing that you . . . can do"

Apparently,it's having babies.  The odd thing is, the person who said this probably thinks of himself as a humanist. 

Dawkins: Catholic Church in the running for world's "greatest force for evil"

First Maureen Dowd, now hipster-atheist Richard Dawkins:

What major institution most deserves the title of greatest force for evil in the world? In a field of stiff competition, the Roman Catholic Church is surely up there among the leaders. . . .

The Anglican church does not cleave to the dotty idea that a priest, by blessing bread and wine, can transform it literally into a cannibal feast; nor to the nastier idea that possession of testicles is an essential qualification to perform the rite. . . .

I suppose we in the academy are used to smart people saying dumb things.  But this latest outreach by the Pope to Anglicans seems to bringing out the worst in people.  One wonders if the United Kingdom's increasingly vigilant hate-speech police will come knocking on Dawkins' door?  (Probably not.) 

 

Rep. Stupak on abortion and health-insurance legislation

"I am not trying to kill health reform", says Rep. Bart Stupak.  What a world.  A congressman who is trying to get the leadership to allow a vote on the question whether public funds should subsidize the "kill[ing]" of unborn children is having to fight off charges that he is trying to "kill" health-care reform.

"The Nuns' Story", about Maureen Dowd

Like, unfortunately, many things that Maureen Dowd writes, this recent screed (which, as Michael noted a few days ago, was very, very widely read), "The Nuns' Story", tells us much more about the bile that sloshes around in Maureen Dowd -- bless her heart -- than it does about the alleged topic of the piece or about the real world generally. 

There are, to be sure, many reasonable questions for reasonable, faithful people to raise and debate regarding those matters -- the role (and treatment by the Church) of women religious, the recent outreach to "conservative" Anglicans, etc.  -- that the piece purports, in places, to be about.  But, at the end of the day, the piece is really just a blunderbuss bucket of half-informed, pandering hate.  I know we are supposed to be lamenting the state of public discourse, wringing our hands about the popularity of Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh (and Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann) but it's hard to see how this New York Times feature columnist is any better.  

More here, at America.