The Department of Theology and Religious Studies hosts a lecture
with
Paul Lauritzen
entitled
“Stem Cell Research and the Culture of
Life: Refocusing the Debate”
The public debate on stem cell research has focused almost
exclusively on embryonic stem cell work, and opposition to this
research has often been framed in terms of a “culture of life”
rhetoric. Specifically, debate about stem cell research has
frequently been conducted as if the only issue raised by this work
was the destruction of human embryos. In this way, stem cell
research is emblematic of the tendency to reduce a commitment to a
culture of life to opposition to abortion and euthanasia. In
this talk, Dr. Lauritzen suggests that attending carefully to the
implications of promoting a culture of life, as it was set out in
Evangelium vitae, for stem cell research requires us to rethink the
public policy debate on such research. For example, opponents of
embryonic stem cell research have often condemned research with
embryonic stem cell but uncritically embraced adult stem cell work.
Recognizing that fostering a culture of life requires us to
emphasize the common good through solidarity with the weak and
marginalized means that we cannot simply accept adult stem cell
work as morally unproblematic. Although adult stem cell research
does not involve the destruction of human embryos, it does raise
questions about the commodification of health care, access to
therapies, creating human/non-human chimeras, and our relationship
to the “natural” world. Thus, attending creatively to the call to
promote a culture of life requires us to refocus the public debate
about stem cell research.
Hosts
- Mr. Joseph Sciame, Vice President for Community Relations
- Dr. Joanne Heaney-Hunter, Associate Professor, Department of
Theology and Religious Studies, Director, University Core
Curriculum
Date
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Time
7:30 - 9 p.m.
Location
Council Hall, Queens Campus
Free and open to the public.
More Information
(718) 990-6467
lovelacr@stjohns.edu