A new bioethics debate

David at Cosmos-Liturgy-Sex has a fascinating post on a debate in bioethics over a new medical procedure ("Oocyte Assisted Reprogramming" or OAR) that creates "pluripotent" stem cells.

The interesting thing about this issue, as David points out, is that normally-agreeing members of the pro-life movement are still split about the legitimacy of this method.

NB: David's entry is titled "Makings of a Pro-Life Rift?" I think it is important to point out that a state of disagreement need not develop into a permanent "rift." Contemporary bioethics issues often require a buffer time before a consensus is reached, simply because the facts of the procedure need to be analyzed and reflected upon within the context of the Church's ethical norms.

I join David (of course) in hoping that during this intermediate stage both sides choose to debate the issue in a spirit of charity and cooperation.

Anyway, go have a look yourselves.

UPDATE 1, Jan 17: As part of their continuing analysis of this debate, C-L-S has published a new post covering the issue in greater detail.