English, Welsh bishops speak out on newest bioethics threats

The English and Welsh bishops are doing a good job defending human dignity in the wake of proposed legislation on human/animal chimeras and a host of related procedures:

LONDON (CNS) -- Human embryos injected with animal cells, or chimeras, should be accorded human status under proposals to be considered by the British Parliament in the fall, said the Catholic bishops of England and Wales.

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In their submission, the bishops said that most of the procedures covered by the bill "should not be licensed under any circumstances," principally on the grounds that they violate human rights.

However, they said, "at very least, embryos with a preponderance of human genes should be assumed to be embryonic human beings and should be treated accordingly," they said. [More...]

The bishops' basic point to the lawmakers is two-staged: 1) Don't do it ... but 2) if you're going to do it anyway, do it this way. In other words: don't create human/animal hybrids, but if you do, treat them as humans if they have a preponderance of human genes. This pattern is similar to the Church's teaching on In Vitro Fertilization: don't do it, but if you do, the embryos created are truly human and deserve to be treated as such.

Amy links to the full bishop's document (PDF) which is hosted by the Linacre (Christian bioethics) Centre in London. It is a very good, concise expression of the Church's position on several important medical procedures and practices. The Linacre Centre has also written their own statement (PDF) addressed to the governmental committee involved in these proposals, which focuses exclusively on the specific ethical and scientific questions related to the creation of chimeras.

I'm happy to see the Linacre Centre working closely with the bishops to provide an informed voice of opposition (in defense of truth and human dignity) on these contemporary medical issues. It's an excellent combination of hierarchical authority and lobby (the bishops of England/Wales) supported by medical and professional acumen (the writers at the Linacre Centre).

Update: LifeSiteNews has published its coverage of this story here, and in a related vein, the National Catholic Bioethics Center has announced some upcoming educational opportunities. CNA has that story and more info.