ECCLESIA

THE HOLY SYNOD

 PRESS RELEASE

(17.8.2000)

The recent decision of the British Government to allow experiments on human embryonic cells resulting from cloning not only did it provoke intense political and medical controversies, but it also offers the opportunity to stress that the ethical criterion is incomparably superior to any form of scientific achievement.

Our Church, which daily experiences the drama of disease and the need for a healthy life, embraces with love and understanding every single scientific endeavor that promotes health and grants hope for life.

Nevertheless, She also expresses Her sensitivity towards the parallel need to safeguard the eternal ethical and spiritual values. Man as a person has greater value than biological life. We recognize that it is very difficult to resist to the given applications of science that operate as accomplished facts of a generalized practice. However, surrendering without fighting may be proven disastrous.

Therefore:

Our Church expresses Her categorical opposition to the conduct of experiments on embryonic cells, since this implies the destruction not only of embryonic cells but of human embryos as well.

The viewpoint that the human person begins to be formed on the 14^th day after conception gives an alibi to British scientists, but being the result of scholasticism and not of a scientifically based finding, it constitutes a subjective faith and an arbitrary belief. The Church and the Christian conscience believe that man is a person with eternal and immortal perspective from the very moment of his conception.

Discrimination between people gradually increases. Everything shows that the course of our societies is clearly "eugenic" and racist. The effort, however, to improve life cannot entail destruction of millions of human entities in an embryonic stage.

Our knowledge in regards to the consequences of cloning is minimal and the possibilities to pre-estimate our acts are even fewer. For this reason, every decision concerning the implementation and experiments of cloning must be taken with great prudence, common agreement and deep respect for the human values and person. The danger of turning man into an object and using him as a piece of material is already apparent.

In addition, it is possible that cloning may lead to a consideration of man on financial grounds or to a consideration subject to uncontrollable interests and planning. Moreover, it could hand over the fate, dignity and future of man to governments or companies that have immoral and selfish purposes or intend to make unwise and superficial use.

Who can reassure us that a society, which legalizes today what it prohibited so far –this is already a fact-, will not legalize tomorrow what it prohibits today? Who can protect us from the danger of therapeutic cloning becoming the intermediate step towards reproductive human cloning?

Does the British government wish, by any chance, to legalize something that has already been accomplished and has been familiar with some time ago?

"The benefits of humanity are such that surpass any ethical reservation," stated the chairman of the Health Committee, Liam Donaldson. "The ethical inhibitions, however, are such that surpass any kind of "benefit" for humanity," replies our Church.