Religion and Stem Cell Research Religion and Stem Cell Research

Many of the world’s religious leaders have opined about the moral acceptability of stem cell research. While research using adult or cord-blood stem cells is relatively uncontroversial, there is no consensus on the acceptability of using human embryos in research of any kind and therefore, no consensus on the acceptability of deriving human embryonic stem cell (hES) lines or using those cell lines in research. There is also no consensus on whether somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) should be used to create hES lines with specific characteristics. Religious duties to 1) respect and protect human life because it is sacred, and 2) to prevent and alleviate human suffering, create tension in evaluating the moral acceptability of hES research from a religious perspective. A third religious duty to protect and promote distributive justic