Links for Learning
Curriculum Connections for High School Teachers and Students
This months Links for Learners will support high
school curriculum in:
Christian lifestylesthe value of human
life; bioethics; ethical decisionmaking
Businessbusiness markets and investing
Finding Links for Discussion Group Leaders and Participants
Look for connections for use in programs outside the classroom,
Parish sacramental preparation programs and
CCD classes; young adult discussion programs; seasonal discussion
groups; RCIA programs.
Parents will also find this material useful
in initiating discussion around the dinner table, in home
study, at family activities.
Understanding Basic Terms in This Months Article
Look for the key words and terms below as you read the article.
Definitions or explanations can be researched from the article
itself or from the resource materials cited throughout the
Links for Learners. You can also find a list of terms on the
glossary page of AmericanCatholicYouth.org.
In vitro fertilization
Developments Raise Ethical Questions
No one need remind us that we live in an age of rapid technological
and scientific development. We enjoy MP3 players, VCRs, CD
burners, interactive Internet communication, satellite television
and radio. Along with this technology come ethical questions
about possible infringement of copyrighted material and intellectual
When we shop at the mall or visit a doctor, vast computer
databases store consumer and personal informationsocial
security numbers, credit ratings, medical histories, buying
habits. Ethical issues arise here too over how companies use
these databases and still preserve personal privacy.
Recent advances in medical technology hold the promise for
curing previously irreversible diseases. Physicians now perform
medical procedures without invasive surgery and transplant
vital organs to prolong life. Scientists have cloned a sheep
and, as the Advanced
Cell Technology (ACT) company now boasts, cloned a human
cell. Biotech companies have developed embryonic stem cells
for research in the cure of disease. The ethical implications
of these advances are enormous.
Ethical Decisionmaking Skills
As teenagers, how do we make ethical decisions on these complex,
vital issues? Where do we learn to develop decisionmaking
skills in ethics and morality? Can we ever have enough information
to make an intelligent choice? Take a look at the National
Character Education Center Web site, with its wealth of
resources and links, and its free newsletter on character
You may find helpful the thorough guidelines and resources
offered by the Josephson Institute of Ethics on their Character
Counts! web site. The Institute encourages us to apply
- Clarifydetermine what needs to
be decided and identify a range of options.
- Evaluatelook at facts and assumptions carefully.
Identify solid facts. Look at the credibility of the information
- Decidemake a judgment about what is or is not true,
and what consequences are likely to occur.
- Implementdevelop a plan to implement your decision
so as to maximize benefits and minimize risks.
- Monitor and Modifybe prepared to take a different
course of action, based on new information.
Step two, evaluate, invites us to do our homework
on an issue, and check out the reliability of our sources.
We can apply this process to the topic of stem-cell research.
Step Two: Evaluate
is Stem-cell Research All About?
President George W. Bush recently announced his decision
to allow, for the first time ever, federal funding for research
on existing human embryonic stem-cell lines. Bush set two
major conditions on the funded research: The derivation process
should have already been initiated prior to his August 9,
2001, announcement; and the embryo from which the stem-cell
line was derived should no longer have the possibility of
development as a human being. Four additional criteria
must be met for approval of federal funds, according to the
The president's decision triggered a debate on using American
tax dollars for this kind of research. According to Jeffrey
Kahn, Director for the Center
for Bioethics at the University of Minnesota, at the heart
of the debate
is how we should use human embryos. Embryos are killed in
the process of stem-cell research. Some view embryos as human
life, and therefore deserving of the same respect we offer
a child or adult. Others see an early embryo as a collection
of cells much like any other bodily tissue, and research on
such tissue as uncontroversial. The
National Catholic Bioethics Center has also addressed
the issue of stem-cell research.
The U. S. Government's National
Institutes of Health publishes a comprehensive stem-cell
The development of human pluripotent stem cells can, according
to the NIH, provide a "renewable source of replacement cells
and tissues" useful in treating diseases, disorders and disabilities
that would include Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, spinal
cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease and diabetes. Such
"cell therapies" would reverse diseases and disorders resulting
from disruption of cellular function or destruction of bodily
In the biopharmaceutical industry, the Geron
Corporation defines embryonic stem cells as self-renewing
primitive cells that can develop into functional, differentiated
cells. Pluripotent cells are capable of giving rise to many,
but not all, cells necessary for fetal development. As such,
they can be a source for replacement tissues in the human
body, repairing tissues damaged by accident or disease.
Issues in Using Early Embryos
There are differing opinions about how to obtain the research
stem cells. Stem cells can come from adult cells, as in blood
stem cells in bone marrow. Or they can come from embryonic
cells, such as from a naturally aborted fetus, an embryo destroyed
in abortion, from cells prepared for an in vitro fertilization
or cells grown with the intent of destruction for research
In the opinion of many scientists, destruction of early embryos
is the most effective way to gather stem cells. Some, including
the Catholic Church, find this morally unacceptable. Pope
John Paul II, in his encyclical,
The Gospel of Life, stated, "It is immoral to produce
human embryos destined to be exploited as disposable 'biological
material.'" This view disallows generating or creating embryos
as disposable, destructible cells for research.
In determining the moral
status of an early embryo, the Church believes that the
most prudent response is to recognize personal individuality
from the first moment of conception. Others argue that conception/fertilization
is not a moment but a process. Since the development of an
embryo into a fetus is a process, it can be argued that early
development does not indicate true individuality. And if this
individuality is lacking, there is no person, no soul. A living
organism, yes, but not yet a person. This view is not endorsed
by the Catholic Church.
Therapies as a Business
This month's article also challenges us to consider public-policy
issues. Should we morally continue expensive research for
what is really high-tech intervention? Should we focus on
prevention rather than cure as a dominant health-care strategy?
Where do we channel our health-care resources? Will the poor
benefit from any of the high-tech research?
Powerful lobbyists in Washington, D.C., represent scientists,
medical research companies and Wall Street investors. Celebrity
spokespersons such as Christopher
Reeve and Michael
J. Fox, and high-profile individuals like Representative
Langevin (D-R.I.) have argued before Congress on the need
for stem-cell research. Unquestionably there are many thousands
of individuals who could benefit from stem-cell research.
Disease and disorder certainly create a marketplace for high-tech
intervention. We need to factor this business market into
our decisionmaking. Stem-cell research can be as much about
business profit as it is about scientific exploration and
health concerns. Biotech companies spend years and many millions
of dollars on product research. (See Forbes
magazine's November 26, 2001, article "Cloning's High Cost.")
These companies are funded by investors who expect a return
on their investment (ROI).
To illustrate this reality, look at the Web sites for biotech
firms such as Amgen, Genzyme,
Geron and BresaGen
all companies deeply committed to scientific research
and development. (Amgen is best known for Epogen, a version
of a human protein that stimulates production of red blood
cells. Epogen is used to treat anemia in kidney patients on
dialysis treatment, eliminating the need for blood transfusions.)
Prominent on each Web site are "Investor Information" and
"Press/Media Relations" icons, with financial information
and up-to-the-minute stock quotes. These companies face a
great deal of pressure to develop a viable product and bring
it to market as soon as possible.
This is just an example of one of the stepsevaluatethat
we introduced in this study guide. Now that you see how the
process goes, explore the other steps in light of this issue.