QUESTION: I’ve heard a lot of news stories about embryonic stem cells and how we don’t need them anymore. Is that really true? How should Christians respond to this news?

ANSWER: You are right that many stories have been published on this topic. Very simply, the greatest attribute of embryonic stem cells is that they are more capable of differentiating into virtually any type of cell. The greatest hurdle involves the harvesting process which usually leads to the killing of embryos. Some people justify the loss of human life for the “greater good” of treating serious diseases. Christian Life Resources cannot endorse the intentional killing regardless of any perceived benefit.

The discovery that adult stem cells can now be reprogrammed to act similarly to embryonic stem cells comes as welcomed news. In short, this means embryonic stem cell research can be conducted without killing embryos. Because this method removes a major ethical problem, the Christian community can be more supportive of this research. In addition, we continually encourage further research with adult stem cells, because this type has already shown tremendous success and does not involve the loss of human lives.

Despite the hurdles yet to come, this development has been proven to be a far better alternative in embryonic stem cell research than previously used methods.