Science has no say on human dignity
A reader recently wrote to complain that the Pope, Benedict XVI, would have us "throw away the key" to a cure for Parkinson's disease, infertility and other ailments, because church law prohibits embryonic stem cell research. In essence, Sheryl Jedlinski disputes the Pope's claim that embryonic stem cell research has anything to do with human dignity.
She blames the church rather than science for a history of killing and torture. I would like to point out this important fact: science has nothing to say about the morality of killing and torture.
Through science people have the ability to abuse human embryos for harvesting stem cells, to abort countless unborn humans, kill thousands with nuclear energy, use genetic engineering to increase crop yields, predict weather patterns, land on the moon and goodness know what else.
If human dignity is tied merely to scientific materialism, which Jedlinski strongly implies, then nothing really exists to stop technicians from disposing of weak and sick persons or using their body parts for more deserving contributors to society.
Why bother with expensive research when simple and cheap alternatives are available? If this is what she has in mind, she should state it openly and explain how it comports with human dignity.
George Kocan
Warrenville