A: Yes. Embryonic stem cells have repeatedly caused tumors in animals. Some researchers question whether they will ever be safe to use in humans.
Q: Are adult stem cells currently providing cures for disease?
A: Yes. Several stem cell therapies using a patient’s own stem cells are in trials or already in use.
Q: Is human cloning ethical?
A: No. Cloning humans for any purpose is unethical.
Q: Is a cloned embryo a human being?
A: Yes. A cloned human embryo is as much a human being as the person who is cloned. A clone is a “delayed twin.” The Church teaches that an embryo is a person no matter how that embryo was created.
Q: What is somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)?
A: SCNT is cloning. In SCNT, a technician takes an egg from a female donor, removes the nucleus, and inserts the somatic cell nucleus with its DNA into the “empty” egg. SCNT is the transfer of the nucleus of a somatic cell to the egg. The egg begins to divide and a cloned embryo is created.
Q: Is there a difference between reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning?
A: No. Both reproductive and therapeutic cloning would use SCNT to create a cloned embryo. In reproductive cloning this cloned embryo is implanted into a uterus and allowed to develop into a child. In therapeutic cloning, the embryo is destroyed for stem cells.
Q: Has anyone successfully cloned a human embryo with SCNT?
A: Yes. As of the this writing, researchers have been successful creating a few cloned human embryos with SCNT.
Q: Is there a link between IVF and embryonic stem cell research and human cloning?
A: Yes. IVF clinics provide the “left-over” embryos to embryonic stem cell researchers. They also provide human eggs for cloning. If reproductive cloning becomes a reality, it will most likely be performed in an IVF clinic.
Q: Is research on embryos legal in the U.S.?
A: Yes. There is no federal ban on creating or destroying human embryos for research. Scientists are free to conduct research on human embryos in most states. The Dickey Amendment restricts using federal tax-payer dollars to fund research that creates or destroys human embryos.
Q: Is human cloning legal in the U.S.?
A: Yes. There is no federal ban on SCNT in humans. In most states, researchers are free to clone human embryos. The Dickey Amendment prohibits using federal tax-payer dollars to fund research that clones human embryos.
Q: What is genetic testing?
A: Genetic testing is the testing of a person’s DNA. Genetic testing is done for many reasons, including to establish paternity, diagnose disease, determine sex, or determine tissue type. Scientists perform genetic testing on adults, children, fetuses, and, more recently, embryos in the very early stages of development.
Q: Is genetic testing ethical?
A: Genetic testing simply provides information. In and of itself, genetic testing is not unethical, unless human life is put at risk or destroyed to obtain that information. The reason for the testing and what is done with the information provided are where the ethical dilemmas arise.
Q: What is genetic engineering?
A: The manipulation of an organism's genome by introducing or eliminating specific genes through modern molecular biology techniques. Genetic engineering in humans would include modifying DNA or adding an extra chromosome to a somatic cell nucleus before the cloning process so the resulting cloned embryo would be genetically modified.
Q: Is the genetic engineering of plants and animals ethical?
A: The genetic engineering of plants and animals is ethical if it is done in a responsible manner and done for the betterment of mankind, for example to provide a more abundant and nourishing food supply to the hungry.
Q: Is the genetic engineering of humans ethical?
A: If the genetic engineering is to treat or cure a disease, then yes. This would be called "gene therapy." If it is to make a normal healthy person, "better than human" with extra genes for strength, intelligence etc, than the answer is an emphatic "No!" If genetic engineering requires the cloning or destruction of a human embryo than it is also unethical.
