Summary
Legislation is encouraged which would positively promote ethical adult stem cell research and prohibit embryonic stem cell research and human cloning.

Conference Position
The New York State Catholic Conference of Bishops strongly supports ethical scientific inquiry using adult stem cells, umbilical cord blood cells and the newly-discovered iPS cells, in the fight against disability and disease. At the same time, the Conference strongly opposes human cloning of any kind, as well as destructive embryonic stem cell research, and supports legislation at both the state and federal levels to prohibit it for any purpose.

Rationale
In the 2007 Legislative Session, the Executive and Legislative branches agreed to allocate $600 million in state funding over the next 11 years for stem cell research that includes destructive embryo research. The Church believes that this taxpayer funding for human embryonic stem cell research and cloning is both fiscally irresponsible and morally indefensible.

While the newly-enacted stem cell research law prohibits funding for the cloning of live-born children, it allows funding for the cloning and destruction of human embryos. Legislation is still needed to prohibit human cloning for both research purposes and for reproductive purposes.

The Catholic Conference views human cloning and embryonic stem cell research as an alarming assault on the dignity and value of human life. Such technology reduces the precious gift of human life to a manufactured product that can be discarded at will. Human embryos become a means to an end rather than an end in and of themselves.

The Catholic Church does not intend to stifle legitimate scientific research that could lead to diagnosis, treatment and prevention of human disease and disability. Indeed, the Church is in the forefront of scientific progress in the field of adult stem cell research and regenerative medicine. Catholic facilities such as the New York Medical College in Valhalla are in the forefront of exciting new research using adult stem cells to treat heart disease. St. Elizabeth Caritas Health System in Boston is on the cutting edge of exciting new discoveries of adult stem cells which can potentially transform into all the other cells in the human body.

In late November of 2007, scientists announced that they had successfully “reprogrammed” ordinary human skin cells to become embryonic-like “pluripotent” cells, or “iPS cells”, capable of generating any of the cell types in the human body. This groundbreaking scientific discovery is ethically non-controversial and more cost effective than human cloning and embryo research.

We strongly urge that state funds be specifically earmarked to bolster research with adult stem cells, umbilical cord blood and iPS cells, and to increase the availability of therapies using these cell sources. New York State, with its vast array of universities, biotechnology incubators and bioscience facilities, has the opportunity to develop a specialized expertise in non-embryonic stem cell regenerative medicine.

We urge the Legislature and the newly-constituted “Empire State Stem Cell Board” to act to promote ethical and successful medical research using non-embryonic stem cells.