Life Brief™

Embryonic Stem Cell Research Myths

Full text of articles:

The Great Embryonic Stem Cell Myth - Kristen Cella

Debunking Common Myths about Embryonic Stem Cell Research - Kimberly Zenarolla

Why is Embryonic Stem Cell Research Wrong? - Pontifical Academy for Life

What about embryos donated from in-vitro fertilization (IVF)? Some claim that if human embryos are "left-over" from infertility treatments and will be discarded, it is morally justifiable to destroy them for research. Ultimately, this argument rests on a utilitarian concept of human life that does not take into account the dignity of the individual person. Analogously, imagine that it was proposed that thousands of elderly and it was proposed that thousands of elderly and terminally ill people should be gathered and subjected to lethal experimentation -- justified both by the fact that their death is certain and by an unproved claim that such experimentation could yield "promising" results for others. Moreover, consider that only 2.2 percent of frozen human embryos are discarded, and only a small percentage of those have potential for research. Are we headed toward exploiting women for their eggs?

Additional resources

Fact Sheets, Articles, News Releases - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

We cannot fight embryonic stem cell research without your help. Your generous contribution is needed now to empower our legislative and lobbying teams, and to support our educational outreach and evangelization. Please consider donating by credit card through our secure site. Thank you. (Pro-Life Maryland, Inc. is a 501(c)(4) organization. Because we lobby the Maryland State Legislature, your contribution is not tax-deductible.)