STEM
CELL PROVED TO CURE DISEASES
Doing
Evil for Good Intent?
Human Stem cells were confirmed of its effectiveness to cure diseases. There are distinct source of stem cells, the non embryonic (“adult”) stem cells and embryonic stem cells. Curing some incurable diseases wherein people who have terminal diseases got treated. But, stem cell treatment became controversial because of the use of embryonic stem cells which engage the destruction of human life. Embryonic stem cells came from an aborted fetus. It’s not strange to us that abortion is considered as killing an innocent human life.
Secular
humanist’s believes that “God is not sovereign over life- humankind is.” They
believe that individual has the right to live and to die. They support life but
also persisting that they have the right to end their own lives. Thus, abortion
also is regarded a right, base on the free will of the mother. If we look at
the perspective of the secular humanist regarding with the embryonic stem cells
which involves abortion, it means that they function in the principle of “the
ends justifies the means.” For them, it is not morally wrong to abort a fetus
where they got embryonic stem cells to use to treat terminal diseases.
But what the
Bible tells about who is sovereign over life? The Bible declared, God is
sovereign over our own life. God said to Moses, “I put to death and I bring to
life (Deut. 32:39). The Bible is clearly saying that, individuals don’t have
any rights to take any life because we don’t create life, God is the one who
gave life and only Him has all the rights over individual’s lives.
A testimony of a 2 ½ year old
girl who undergone a stem cell treatment and was life extended. Using plastic fibers and human cells, doctors have
built and implanted a windpipe— the youngest person ever to receive a bioengineered
organ.
Hannah, who was born without a trachea, no longer needs
a tube to breathe, and after the surgery she could put her lips together for
the first time. Dr. Philipp Jungebluth, left, and Dr. Paolo Macchiarini inspected a
neotrachea seeded with stem cells. The implant is designed to reduce the risk
of rejection.
The goal of regenerative medicine, or
tissue engineering, is to create or regrow tissues and organs to ease
transplant shortages or treat conditions that do not have an effective cure.
After years of scant progress, tissue engineers have begun to make advances as
they have gained a better understanding of the role that stem cells — basic cells that can become
tissue-specific ones — play in signaling the body to grow and repair itself.
To cure
diseases to extend life is a good intention; it is dignified. That is why
science pursuits to know the means for curing diseases. The question is, does
the means morally right or wrong for the ends? Is it morally reasonable to take an innocent life to
extend life?
Dear Friends,
I’m inviting you to share your ideas on this issue. Thank you!
Bibliography
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/science/groundbreaking-surgery-for-girl-born-without-windpipe.html
Geisler, Norman L. Christian Ethics: Contemporary Issues and Options.
Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Academic, 2010.
Gushee, David P. and Glen H. Stasses. Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in
Contemporary
Context. Downers Groove, ILL: IVP, 2003.
we are commissioned by God to rule the earth and subdue it (Gen. 1:26-28). we have to harness its potential for our own benefit. we are to harness each others gift for the edification of His church. but God never intend us to kill another life to extend our life. this is outright murder- a deliberate and premeditated brutal act of halting one life for our own life to advance. this is selfish. it is against the law of love. this is not Biblical. this is worse than abortion.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it is always morally not right to take human life whether born or not yet. Since only God is the giver of life and the who will take it. In the book of Ecclesiastes it says that God appointed every season like the time to be born or time to die. What is wrong with human is that we try to lengthen our lives to the extent that we violate the moral law of God.
ReplyDeleteI am not really sure how it will work and effect but i am sure that it's not reasonable to take innocent life to extend another person's life. we can help each other emotionally, socially but we can't die or kill another life to extend someone's life. It's all about God. Only God can take life and give life.
ReplyDeleteGod created man so He has all the power on the life of everyone. I do not believe that we need to play God just to suit our needs. Medicines are good. Doctors are given by God for our health. But to take another life for the extension of another is a different case. It is not biblical and it is not even morally right in human terms.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to a real life situation this kind of issues are not an easy one to solve or taken lightly. Sometimes, people would say "instead of loosing two, why not kill one to save one." For example, take the life of the unborn inorder to save the already born (eg. mother). This kind of issue is not really difficult to solve/answer if we are the one being asked. But let's us put ourselves on the shoes of the person who is having this kind of challenges. Then what would be our solution? or answer? What is God's purpose in this kind of issues??? Ya we all know "our lives" are not in our hand, God gave and he alone can take it. We have no authority over innocent lives.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Apostle Paul " everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial" the problem of people today are not to extend life but the self centered motivation, God is only the giver of life no one is allowed to abuse it, as one philosopher said " do not use your freedom to abused your freedom"
ReplyDeleteLife begins at the conception that is why contraception was designed to prevent the meeting of the sperm and the egg cell because that would already the start of life and would fall into the case of abortion. Since embryonic stem cell would be utilizing a post-conception embryo this would not be right. How good may be the intention of extending other's life will not be moral by ending an innocent life.
ReplyDeleteI do not support abortion for any means of saving human life. God is sovereign and He is author of our life. He is the one who gives life and who takes our life as He wish. We can seek alternative ways for our treatment but it does not mean that we should allow to kill someone's life in order to save human life.
ReplyDeleteTruly, we are at the end times. Where the great knowledge will be pour out and evil will deceived men. Life is precious and abortion is a sin against God.
ReplyDeleteThere are people who believe in the statement "The end justifies the means." However, it should not be taken with an absolute essence. If it is, then it is acceptable to steal to provide for the food of the family. It will be fine to rob a bank to have a little girl operated in a hospital. After all Robin Hood is just a story, where its lesson should not be taken in an absolute sense.
ReplyDeleteSurely, it is not reasonable to justify a sin just because of its cause. Anything that is against the will of God or His word is still a sin even if it means saving a person's life. God is sovereign and in control of everything. It is just a matter of trust in and obedience to His word. Let us all be reminded of the Lord's statement to Abraham in Genesis 18:14: "Is there anything too difficult for me?"
ReplyDeleteTaking life of a human is unacceptable, even if, it is to extend the life of another person. Whatever logic the scientists may present in favor of this, it should be rejected. Scientists think that they have sovereign authority over life. Life is God's gift and He has the sole authority over everything. It is better to live under that authority than to do things that are displeasing to God.
ReplyDeleteThe effort to find ways and means as reactive remedy for cure is a welcome development, however curing diseases and extending life at the expense of one's death is not acceptable. Just to cure sickness killing life is ethically wrong, morally unacceptable and biblically sinful. As it is said the "End does not justify the Means."
ReplyDeleteThere are studies that needs to be proven yet.
1. Possibility that stem cell will be taken from a placenta of newly born baby after the umbilical cord is detached from the baby. If this is true then it is very acceptable development since the baby is alive and what is supposed to be buried (Placenta and umbilical cord) will be a source of cure and means to extend life. Saving not only one life but two or more. This is similar to blood transfusion, there is no bad effect on the donor better yet replaced with new blood within few minutes. If placenta will be a source of cell that will cure sickness and extend life without effect to the newly born baby is possible, then that's the only situation possible that stem cell therapy will be acceptable for me. But, without this kind of procedure and the means is abortion and sacrificing life for the sake of saving another life is unacceptable.
For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139:13-16)
Jeremiah: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5)
People are not to be murdered because they are created in the image of God. (Genesis 9:6)
If there must be development in enhancing life, it should not result in death of those vulnerable and less privilege.
It's not acceptable morally especially spiritually to take one life to save someone else life. The question is, is there a 100% assurance that the recipient will be treated from his disease(s) and will no longer have the occurence of the same or other diseases? Or will the recipient be able to live a healthy lifestyle in order to justify the life that has been taken? ..NO!..It will never be justified.
ReplyDeleteDuring the procedure (embryonic stem-cell) wherein the sample (eg. cell / blood) will be introduce to the recipient, there's no guarantee that there will never be any untoward reaction(s) or rejections knowing that the sample from embryonic stem-cell comes from anonymous person. The health history of the mother is in question and whether what type of abortion occured. It might be that it is intended to be aborted but how about if not? How sure that the embryo is not contaminated with the mother's illness/disease that can pass through the placenta (eg. AIDS). Aside from the sin committed in abortion, there's also a high risk to the donor for embryonic stem-cell.
Stem-cell is good when focus on autologous human stem-cell where samples are taken from other part(s) of the body of the recipient himself or at least from immediate family members. Sources will come from bone marrow-large bones, adipose tissues-liposuction, blood-ordinary blood extraction which is less invasive, least possibility of reactions and rejection (because it comes from your own self or at least with same genes) and most especially we never take lives and we never committed sin against our Creator.
There will always be other options that will be safe and acceptable to all.
Since abortion is committed in order to derive an embryonic stem cell, I believe it is against the will of God. It is a sin. We are not given the right to kill a fetus or human being just for the benefit of another. We should not be selfish. The end does not really justify the means. We should pray and ask for God's wisdom for us to find ways to preserve life without going against His will.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, it is not morally reasonable to take one's life just to extend the other. However, if this will pertain to stem cell, I want to give a clear view on stem cell and how the application of it won't displease our God.
ReplyDeletePerhaps, we might miss this scientific basis of stem cell and so pls allow me to elaborate a little on stem cell. There are two broad types of stem cells. One is mentioned here, from the embryonic cells and the other (not mentioned here) is from the adult organism. You can actually isolate stem cells from the bone marrow, adipose tissue and blood of the adult organism without causing much pain and so ofcourse far from killing a human. Moreover, you can isolate stem cells in the umbilical cord of the newly born. As you can see, there is no abortion here. There is no human sovereignty over life which is just consistent with what GOD values. GOD indeed alone is sovereign over all things. He has the Sole right to give and take away life.
What Im trying to say here is that, stem cell treatment is not going against the will of God given the second type. I would like to suggest then that we should pursue and support the second type of stem cell knowing its tremendous potential to cure diseases which were uncurable before.